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SN 8
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Destroyed
SN8 was the first fully assembled upper-stage Starship prototype to undertake a suborbital flight.
Test history
Failure
Wed 09, Dec 2020
3 years ago
High Altitude Test flight
On December 9, 2020, Starship SN8 successfully conducted a high-altitude flight test, achieving propellant transition and pioneering a controlled aerodynamic descent and landing flip maneuver.
Description
SN8 was the first fully assembled upper-stage Starship prototype to attempt a suborbital flight. Despite a crash landing due to a header tank pressure issue, the test was largely considered successful as it met most of its objectives. To address the pressure issue, SN9 featured helium pressurization, a modification that indirectly influenced the design and testing of SN10.
