SpaceX Aborts Starship Test

SpaceX has rapidly expanded its satellite internet business and outlined ambitious plans to build artificial intelligence data centres in orbit.

SpaceX called off a planned Starship test flight on Thursday just as the rocket's booster began firing, after several engines failed to start.

"Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort. Now offloading propellant," company chief Elon Musk wrote on X.

Musk later said two Raptor engines would be removed and replaced, with another launch attempt most likely early next week.

The mission was due to be Starship's 13th test flight. Its objectives largely mirror those of the mostly successful May mission, which marked the debut of the third-generation version of the powerful spacecraft.

That flight demonstrated several elements of the updated design but encountered technical problems. Engine issues on the Super Heavy booster forced it to crash into the Gulf of Mexico instead of completing a controlled return.

SpaceX said it had since introduced several hardware and software changes to address the problems identified during the previous test.

The next mission will seek to complete the launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback manoeuvre and offshore landing burn without complications.

Starship's upper stage is expected to deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX also plans to restart a Raptor engine in space and test upgrades to the spacecraft's heat shield.

The flight will be the company's first since SpaceX went public in June through a record initial public offering. Its shares closed at USD 131.11 on Thursday, below the IPO price of USD 135.

SpaceX has rapidly expanded its satellite internet business and outlined ambitious plans to build artificial intelligence data centres in orbit.

The progress of Starship is also crucial for NASA, which has contracted SpaceX to develop a modified version of the spacecraft as a lunar landing system. | BGNES