SpaceX Scrubs Test Flight of Powerful Starship Rocket
SpaceX called off a test flight of its powerful Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster on Thursday evening after encountering engine issues during the countdown.
The launch team at Starbase, Texas, had aimed to launch the more than 400-foot-tall rocket at 5:45 pm local time (6:45 pm EDT; 22:45 UTC).
The countdown proceeded smoothly throughout the day, but the computers controlling the countdown called an abort during the Super Heavy booster’s engine startup sequence.
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, confirmed on his social media platform X that some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort.
Musk added that ground teams at Starbase would replace two of the Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster. “Most probable launch timing is early next week,” he wrote.
The Super Heavy booster has 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, each generating over half a million pounds of thrust. The engines are supposed to ignite in a staggered sequence after activation of the launch pad’s water-cooled flame diverter.
SpaceX officials did not disclose how many engines failed to start during the ignition sequence, but a graphic of engine status on SpaceX’s live video stream indicated four of the 33 engines never ignited.
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