MANY MINDEDStarship's third-generation rocket scrubs again after engine ignition fails
SpaceX called off the second launch attempt of its third-generation Starship rocket on Thursday at its South Texas complex, seconds after the booster's engines were meant to fire. Elon Musk said some engines did not start, triggering an automatic abort. He added that SpaceX will replace two engines and does not expect to try again until the following week. The company's own broadcast graphics appeared to show four new Raptor engines failing to light, though that count is unconfirmed and the cause of the abort has not been determined.
The flight was to carry the first third-generation Starlink satellites, which are designed to burn up roughly 20 minutes after deployment because Starship has not yet reached orbit. The first V3 launch in May ended when the Super Heavy booster failed before a simulated landing, prompting an FAA review. The FAA cleared SpaceX to fly again earlier this week after identifying fixes.
Starship is the vehicle meant to drive heavy-lift launch costs down far enough to make orbit routine — cheaper access to space underpins global connectivity, imaging, and eventually far more. Each scrub delays that curve, and the market noticed: SpaceX, which went public June 12 in a record IPO raising over $85 billion, closed below its $135 IPO price Thursday and fell more than 4% after hours.
Watch for the cause of the abort, which cannot be investigated until propellant is removed, and whether the replacement engines hold through next week's attempt.
Source: TechCrunch