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Elon Musk’s SpaceX canceled the planned launch of Starship’s tenth mission from Texas on Sunday due to a ground system issue, postponing a key milestone after previous tests ended in early failures. The massive 232-foot Super Heavy booster, which was stacked beneath the 171-foot Starship upper stage on the launch pad at SpaceX’s Starbase facility, was being fueled in preparation for liftoff at 7:35 pm ET (23:35 GMT).
Approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled launch, SpaceX announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the launch was temporarily halted to troubleshoot a ground system problem. Musk had intended to provide an update on Starship’s development before the launch, but a placeholder live stream suggested that the presentation had been canceled.
Past delays like this have typically been resolved within days. According to SpaceX’s website, the company is now aiming to try again as early as Monday, August 25.
The development of SpaceX’s next-generation rocket has faced multiple setbacks this year, including two early flight failures, a catastrophic failure during its ninth spaceflight, and a June explosion on the test stand that sent debris into nearby Mexican territory. Despite these obstacles, SpaceX has continued rapidly producing new Starships at its sprawling Starbase facility, with NASA hoping to use the rocket for its first crewed lunar landing since Apollo in 2027.
These challenges highlight the technical complexities of Starship’s latest version, which features increased thrust, a more durable heat shield, and stronger steering flaps designed to improve its atmospheric reentry — all crucial for its goal of rapid reusability that Musk advocates.
The planned launch saw the combined system lofted from Texas just after sunset, with Starship intended to separate from the Super Heavy booster several miles above the surface. The booster, which has been recovered for landings in previous tests using giant mechanical arms, was to have targeted a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico as a backup plan, testing a different engine configuration.
After separation, Starship was to ignite its engines for a brief burn to push further into space, attempting to deploy its first batch of mock Starlink satellites. It also planned to reignite an engine during a suborbital pass around Earth. The spacecraft’s flight plan included atmospheric reentry over the Indian Ocean, a vital test for its heat shield tiles and engine flaps designed to withstand intense heat and aerodynamic stress that have broken apart previous versions.
SpaceX described the reentry as a stress test for the upper stage’s rear flaps, deliberately pushing their structural limits during the most dynamic phase of entry.
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