Science & technology | Third time unluckyElon Musk’s plans to go to Mars next year are toastSpaceX’s Starship fails for a third time in a rowPhotograph: Reuters May 28th 2025SPACEX’S NINTH test flight of its Starship launch system could be counted as an advance over the previous two, which lit up the Caribbean skies a couple of thousand kilometres down-range of their Texas launch site like spectacular fireworks. A second stage successfully turned off its engines after reaching space intact, but by the time it re-entered the atmosphere on the other side of the world it was clear that this was a third failure in a row.Explore moreThis article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Starship fails again”From the May 31st 2025 editionDiscover stories from this section and more in the list of contents⇒Explore the editionReuse this content #elon #musks #plans #mars #next