SpaceX’s planned launch of its Starship rocket was delayed due to an engine malfunction that occurred shortly before liftoff. The launch was set to take place from the Starbase facility in Texas on Thursday, but the mission was aborted when multiple engines failed to ignite. This issue triggered the rocket’s automatic abort system, leading the company to begin removing fuel from the spacecraft.
The company anticipates attempting another launch in the coming days while engineers work to determine the cause of the engine failure. Starship is pivotal to Elon Musk’s long-term vision, which includes expanding the Starlink satellite network, building space-based infrastructure, and eventually facilitating human travel to the Moon and Mars.
This mission was intended to be Starship’s first major test flight since SpaceX’s recent public stock offering. Following the news of the launch delay, the company’s shares experienced a drop of more than 6 percent in early trading.
SpaceX has invested upwards of $15 billion in Starship’s development, aiming for the rocket to be fully reusable. The company is also contracted by NASA to utilize Starship for future lunar missions. However, several technical hurdles remain before astronauts can safely embark on voyages aboard this spacecraft.