Starship Launch Scrapped as Engines Don't Turn Over

SpaceX had Starship set up for its 13th outing Thursday evening, but the launch was scrubbed seconds from the end of the countdown when some of the engines failed to start. A new launch date was not announced, per Space.com. The company said it will have to figure out what went wrong with the V3 prototype before rescheduling, per the AP. The idea of the mission had been to prove the monster rocket can start behaving like a working spacecraft by pushing the vehicle close to its limits in a flight expected to last about an hour, CNN reports. The plan was: a clean launch and ascent, separation from its Super Heavy booster, a controlled booster splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, and an upright Starship splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

During the flight, Starship was slated to deploy 20 experimental Starlink satellites, relight a Raptor engine in space, and perform stress-test maneuvers aimed at one day enabling rapid reuse. Six of the satellites were to help evaluate the ship's heat shield. This was to be the second test of the third-generation V3 Starship, following a May flight that made it to its final destination, despite some engine trouble. And it was the first launch attempt since SpaceX's massive IPO in June. The stock now is descending, NBC News reports, falling more than 3% to $131.11 on Thursday to close below the $135 IPO price for the first time.

SpaceX also faces mounting deadlines and scrutiny: NASA wants Starship in orbit next year for a docking test with an Orion capsule, a key step toward the Artemis IV moon-landing mission now targeted for as soon as 2028. With Blue Origin developing a competing lander and NASA signaling it could pivot if Starship lags, the pressure on these "learning" flights is rising, CNN reports.