SpaceX went public a while back, and its first big trick as a publicly traded company was setting a very large rocket on fire in front of everyone on purpose. Shareholders, start your popcorn.

Thirteenth Time's the Charm-ish

Starship's 13th test flight finally got off the ground on July 25 from Starbase, Texas, after Tropical Storm Bertha forced a delay from an initial July 23 window — and after an earlier attempt on July 16 was scrubbed mid-countdown due to engine ignition issues. When it did fly, the 407-foot stack, powered by 33 Raptor engines producing roughly 16 million pounds of thrust, delivered what's being called a "mostly successful" flight.

This was the first Starship test since SpaceX's IPO, putting a very public price tag on every wobble, hiccup, and hopefully-nominal re-entry for the first time in company history.

Rockets Don't Care About Your Earnings Call

Test flights have always been part triumph, part controlled demolition — that's the whole point of testing. But "mostly successful" reads differently when there's a stock price attached instead of just an eccentric founder's mood. Every scrub, delay, and partial success is now a data point for analysts, not just engineers.

That tension — build fast, break things, but also please don't spook the shareholders — is going to define Starship's test campaign from here on out. SpaceX has never flown carefully for anyone's comfort, and there's no sign yet that a stock ticker changes the philosophy now.

Rapid unscheduled disassembly hits different when it's also a rapid unscheduled disclosure event.

Source: CNBC