'Engines didn't start': SpaceX aborts Starship's 13th test just before liftoff
SpaceX aborted the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket just seconds before liftoff due to an engine startup issue. The company is currently investigating the cause and plans to reschedule the launch attempt within a few days.
Why it matters
Starship is critical to NASA's Artemis program and future Mars exploration, making any launch delay a significant event for the aerospace industry.
SpaceX's Starship rocket aborted its 13th flight test less than a second before liftoff from Texas on Thursday, forcing the company to postpone the mission by at least 24 hours while engineers investigate the cause, according to Reuters.The automated launch scrub occurred moments before the planned 6:45 p.m. ET liftoff from Starbase, SpaceX's launch site in south Texas. The rocket's Raptor engines ignited but shut down shortly afterward, preventing the launch.Elon Musk in a post on X said, "Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort. Now offloading propellant.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in