Elon Musk SpaceX Scrubs Starship Test Flight at Last Minute Due to Unidentified Issue

Photo :  SpaceX

SpaceX had to cancel the much-awaited test flight of its Starship rocket just moments before launch on Monday. The company discovered an issue with the rocket’s core ship only 40 seconds before lift-off, forcing engineers to stop the launch and investigate the problem.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX said, "Standing down from today's flight test attempt. Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly." The announcement left space enthusiasts and viewers disappointed, as the event was being livestreamed.

This test was supposed to be the eighth flight for Starship, the rocket SpaceX is developing for future space missions, including carrying Starlink satellites into orbit. It was also the first launch attempt since January when a previous Starship mission ended in failure. During that flight, the upper part of the rocket exploded eight minutes after takeoff, sending debris crashing down over the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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SpaceX has big plans for Starship, including future space exploration and the possibility of sending humans to Mars. However, before that can happen, the company must prove that the rocket is safe for crewed missions.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously stated that Starship could launch again before the final report of the "mishap investigation" was completed. This meant that SpaceX had permission to proceed with test flights as long as safety requirements were met.

During a past launch, the SpaceX team successfully used the rocket’s "chopstick arms"—a part of the launch tower designed to catch the booster stage after lift-off. This achievement was a step forward in making Starship reusable, a key goal for the company.

As of now, SpaceX has not officially announced a new launch date. However, company spokesperson Dan Huot mentioned that if the problem is resolved in time, they might attempt another launch as early as Tuesday. Space fans around the world are eagerly waiting for updates, hoping the next attempt will be successful.