Elon Musk confirmed that SpaceX scrubbed the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket after several engines failed to ignite.
Elon Musk confirmed that SpaceX scrubbed the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket after several engines failed to ignite during the startup sequence. The launch, scheduled for Thursday evening at the Starbase facility in southern Texas, was intended to debut the Starship Version 3 rocket and its Raptor 3 engines. The mission aimed to test the booster's ability to execute stage separation and a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico. It also sought to deploy 20 production Starlink V3 satellites. However, the countdown reached zero and triggered an automatic abort because four of the 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster failed to start. Musk stated that ground teams will replace two Raptor engines on the booster, with the next launch attempt likely occurring early next week. This flight is critical for SpaceX as it moves toward orbital launches and supports NASA’s Artemis lunar lander program. Investors are closely watching the progress as the company seeks to establish a high-frequency launch cadence.