Elisha Sauers Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] Share on Flipboard SpaceX's Starship exploded during its ninth test on May 27, 2025, but the flight wasn't a total failure. Credit: SpaceX Many reports following SpaceX’s ninth flight test for Starship on Tuesday emphasized disaster: The company’s massive rocket and uncrewed spacecraft exploded — again. But each demonstration has had specific objectives, and though Starship didn’t come close to acing them all this time, one in particular was a breakthrough toward making the rocket and ship reusable. That's a crucial goal for SpaceX, which hopes to use the ship to send people to the moon and Mars in a financially sustainable way. The launch, which lifted off from SpaceX’s private space port in south Texas on May 27, saw the first re-flown booster in action. The test was broadcast on SpaceX founder Elon Musk's social platform, X. During the livestream, cheers erupted at Starbase when the spacecraft’s engines ignited and the Super Heavy booster — also used in a January test — separated from it and fell back toward Earth. You May Also Like "Six healthy Raptors running on Ship, on its way to space," a commentator said excitedly, referring to its powerful engines. "Peek that engine view." That crucial moment can be watched in a video clip presented further down in this story. SEE ALSO: