History. 1 of 5 checked cases: the part that failed failed again on the next flight only after Starship flight 12. Flight 3 is not counted.
Hunch. Some booster engines stopped again during the return on flight 14, so the fix is not complete, even though the booster came down under control (Reuters, 28 Sep 2026).
Conditional on market 1. Resolves on SpaceX's flight 15 summary, with Spaceflight Now as backup: YES if booster engines fail to start or stop during the landing burn and the booster does not land as planned (hard splashdown, explosion or loss). A controlled landing resolves NO. Void if flight 15 does not lift off by 23:59 Central Time on 21 December 2026, or if its plan has no powered booster landing.
We looked for cases where a new rocket's test flight did its main job but part of the rocket failed, and where the company itself chose when to fly again. We kept cases where the company also had a government contract that needed that rocket. We found six, from 2013 to 2026. In four, the next flight came 63 to 84 days later. In the other two, Falcon Heavy and New Glenn, it took 301 and 429 days, and both waited for a customer's payload.