Elon Musk’s SpaceX has postponed the tenth test flight of the Starship rocket due to technical issues with ground systems. The flight, scheduled for August 24 at the Starbase launch site in Texas, was halted approximately 30 minutes before liftoff. Efforts are underway to resolve the problem, and the next attempt is planned for Monday, August 25.
Everything was ready for the launch. The 70.7-meter-tall Super Heavy booster and the 52-meter-tall Starship upper stage were stacked on the launch pad and being fueled. However, a malfunction discovered shortly before liftoff caused SpaceX to delay the flight. The company emphasized that this step was taken to ensure safety and the success of the test.
Starship’s development has faced several challenges this year: previous flights experienced failures, the ninth flight failed in space, and a test stand explosion occurred in June. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX has been quickly producing new Starship models. The company aims to make the rocket fully reliable and reusable for NASA’s planned crewed missions to the Moon in 2027.
The new version of Starship is equipped with more powerful engines, a durable heat shield, and reinforced control flaps that play a critical role during atmospheric reentry. These features are essential for the rocket’s repeated reuse.
The primary goal of this flight was for the Super Heavy booster to perform a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage would enter a suborbital trajectory to deploy test Starlink satellites. Afterward, Starship would reenter the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, during which its heat shield tiles and engine flaps would be tested. SpaceX notes that the rocket’s reentry profile is intentionally designed to subject the rear flaps to maximum stress, which is crucial for evaluating Starship’s durability and future reusability.
