SpaceX Aborts Starship Test Flight Due to Engine Issues

SpaceX aborted its planned test flight of the Starship mega rocket on Thursday from its Starbase complex in South Texas. The launch was called off just minutes after the launch window opened when an automatic abort sequence was triggered due to engine issues.

CEO Elon Musk stated on the social platform X that "some of the engines did not start," leading to the automatic abort. The company aims to attempt another launch "hopefully in a few days." The launch window opened at 6:45 p.m. ET, but within minutes, SpaceX announced the stand-down for the day during its livestream.

This flight would have been the first test of Starship V3, an upgraded version of the roughly 400-foot-tall rocket, since SpaceX's initial public offering in May. A previous V3 test launch in May encountered issues. After a successful liftoff, several engines in the booster stage failed to reignite to assist with a soft landing, causing the vehicle to fall into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ordered SpaceX to investigate the May anomaly, clearing the rocket to fly again on Monday. The FAA's final mishap report cited heat effects on propulsion system components during ascent and erroneous engine alarm system settings as the most probable root causes for the loss of the Super Heavy booster. SpaceX has implemented four corrective actions, including hardware and software updates, to prevent recurrence.

The mission was also intended to carry 20 next-generation Starlink satellites, which were expected to deploy their solar arrays and antennas and connect with the existing Starlink constellation. The failure of this test flight could impact SpaceX's ambitions to scale its satellite internet service and support NASA's Artemis program for future moon landings. SpaceX shares fell more than 3% in extended trading on Thursday, further dipping below the company's IPO price.