SpaceX was unable to launch its massive Starship rocket on a crucial flight test from South Texas after multiple engines failed to start when liftoff was imminent.
The countdown to launch had proceeded as planned throughout much of the day as SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by tech mogul Elon Musk, worked toward Starship’s 13th mission since 2023.
But after millions of pounds of propellant were loaded into the world’s largest rocket and the engine startup sequence had begun, the system triggered an automatic abort of the launch. The trouble, as Musk revealed on social media soon after, appeared to be multiple engines failing to start.
The delay could extend into next week at a time when SpaceX is on the clock to have Starship ready for a vital NASA mission in 2027 that could set the stage for a historic human moon landing the following year.
Here’s everything to know about the Starship launch abort, and when it could next get off the ground now.
Did Starship launch today? Flight 13 scrubbed
SpaceX was working toward a Thursday, July 16, launch of its Starship rocket, with a 90-minute launch opening at 5:45 p.m. CT at its Starbase company town and headquarters in Cameron County, located about 180 miles south of Corpus Christi
The launch, though, was scrubbed at the last minute.
Elon Musk says engine issues triggered last minute auto abort
The delay in the launch came after “some of the engines” failed to start on Starship’s first stage that provides the initial burst of thrust at liftoff, known as Super Heavy, Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, said in a post on social media site X. The issue triggered an automatic launch abort.
Before another launch is attempted, Musk added in a follow-up post that two of the booster’s 33 Raptor-class engines will be removed and replaced.
When could Starship launch now? SpaceX targets early next week
Neither Musk nor SpaceX have announced a new target launch date. In his posts, Musk only alluded to an attempt coming in “a few days,” or “early next week.”
When a launch date is set, a 90-minute launch window will open at 6:45 p.m. ET, SpaceX says on its website.
How to watch Starship launch live
The launch will be available to stream on SpaceX’s website beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff. SpaceX will also provide updates on social media site X.
What is Starship?
Starship is the massive rocket that SpaceX, the commercial company founded by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, has been testing since April 2023. SpaceX is developing the rocket to be a fully reusable transportation system that can carry huge satellites and other payloads to space, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions.
Musk’s vision has long been for Starship to be an interplanetary vehicle that takes humans to Mars, where they can establish a self-sustaining colony. While the world’s richest man has indicated that SpaceX will focus on building a lunar city first, the company has already announced a human-led expedition to Mars’ orbit – though it has not set a target date.
SpaceX is also under contract with NASA to develop a lunar lander configuration of its Starship, known as the Human Landing System, to ferry astronauts to the moon under the U.S. space agency’s Artemis program.
How tall is Starship? Is it the world’s largest rocket?
Starship’s most recent flight test in May marked the debut of SpaceX’s third-generation prototype of the rocket. Standing at 407 feet tall when fully stacked, the new iteration of Starship – known as Version 3, or V3 – became the largest and most powerful rocket SpaceX has ever launched.
Similar to previous designs, the fully integrated Starship spacecraft is composed of both a 236-feet-tall lower-stage booster known as Super Heavy, as well as a 171-feet-tall upper stage simply called Starship.
What is Starship flight 13? What to expect
For the next Starship test flight, SpaceX said it is aiming to complete similar objectives as the last launch in May in which it debuted its Version 3 prototype.
SpaceX plans to push the performance of the Super Heavy booster – responsible for the initial burst of thrust at liftoff – before it lands in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed in the U.S. under executive order as the Gulf of America. The upper stage, which is designed to eventually fly in orbit, will also be put to the test as it flies halfway around the world ahead of a landing in the Indian Ocean.
In a major first, Starship will be carrying 20 larger versions of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites that it will attempt to deliver into suborbital space. The satellites will deploy solar arrays and antennas while attempeting to connect with SpaceX’s larger Starlink constellation higher up in orbit before they fall toward the ground and burn up in the atmosphere about 20 minutes later.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because SpaceX has deployed mock Starlink satellites during previous Starship flight tests.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Elon Musk says Starship to launch next week in Texas after abort
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
