SpaceX Aborts Starship Test Flight, New Attempt Possible Early Next Week

SpaceX aborted the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket in the United States early on Thursday (July 17) due to identified issues. The launch was automatically aborted when some engines failed to ignite as planned, leading to a delay of at least 24 hours.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later disclosed on the X platform that a portion of the engines did not start, triggering the automated launch abort system. To ensure a smooth flight, engineers will remove and replace two 'Raptor' engines. The company hopes to conduct the next launch attempt within a few days, with the most likely timing being early next week.

The previous, 12th test flight marked the first use of the new Starship V3 and Super Heavy V3 vehicles. The now-aborted flight was intended to continue the objectives set by the prior mission and was scheduled to carry a next-generation Starlink V3 satellite into space.

The Starship program aims to develop a fully reusable spacecraft capable of transporting crew and cargo to Earth orbit, lunar, and Martian missions.