SpaceX Aborts Starship Launch Due to Engine Issues

SpaceX aborted its second test flight of the Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster on Thursday at its Starbase facility in South Texas. The launch was called off during the engine startup sequence of the Super Heavy booster, just moments before the planned liftoff.

CEO Elon Musk explained on X that "Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort." He added that the company would likely not be able to launch on the next available opportunity and that the next attempt would hopefully be in a few days.

The Super Heavy booster is equipped with 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines. A graphic during the live stream indicated that four of these engines failed to ignite. This was the second launch attempt using SpaceX's third-generation Raptor engines and the upgraded Starship Version 3 rocket. This test flight was also the first Starship launch attempt since SpaceX's IPO on June 12.