SpaceX scrubs Starship test flight at final countdown, targets next launch attempt next week

SpaceX scrubbed Thursday’s planned Starship test flight just seconds before liftoff after an issue occurred during Super Heavy booster engine startup.

The launch countdown reached the final moments before the automated system aborted the flight. The company later said the booster experienced a hold during engine startup, preventing the vehicle from leaving the launch pad.

“No issue with the ship or pad. Looking at data now,” SpaceX said in a post on X shortly after the scrub.

SpaceX later said teams were standing down from Thursday’s launch attempt and would inspect the booster before selecting a new launch date.

Company founder and CEO Elon Musk said two engines would be replaced and that the company is targeting another launch attempt early next week.

The mission would have marked Starship’s first flight since the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the vehicle to return to flight following an investigation into the previous test flight in May.

Flight 13 was expected to test several new capabilities, including deployment of simulated next-generation Starlink satellites, an in-space relight of a Raptor engine and additional heat shield improvements during atmospheric reentry. The mission also called for the Super Heavy booster to perform a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico while the Starship upper stage targeted a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX has not announced a specific launch date but said another attempt is expected after inspections and engine replacements are completed.