SpaceX Scrubs Tenth Starship Test Flight Over Ground System Glitch

SpaceX called off the scheduled launch of Starship’s tenth test mission from its Texas Starbase facility, citing a technical glitch in its ground systems on Sunday. 

The scrub came about half an hour before the rocket’s planned liftoff at 7:35 pm ET (2335 GMT) and delayed another crucial attempt in the spacecraft’s high-stakes development program.

SpaceX posted on X that it was “standing down from today’s tenth flight of Starship to allow time to troubleshoot an issue with ground systems.”

Elon Musk updates on cancellation

The two-stage system, the 232-foot Super Heavy booster and 171-foot Starship upper stage, were fully stacked and loaded with propellant on the launch pad.

CEO Elon Musk was set to provide an update on Starship’s development progress before the rocket’s launch, but a placeholder live stream indicated it had been cancelled.

SpaceX has not set a new launch date, though past scrubs have been resolved within days. The latest delay adds to a string of setbacks for Starship this year, including two early-flight failures, a ninth-flight malfunction in space, and a dramatic test stand explosion in June that scattered debris into Mexico.

NASA anticipates using the next-generation rocket for its Artemis crewed moon landing no earlier than 2027, making each test milestone critical for Musk’s Mars vision and US space exploration goals.

Technical glitch for rapid reusability

Starship’s newest iteration is designed with greater thrust, improved heat shield tiles, and stronger steering flaps to survive atmospheric reentry, capabilities key to Musk’s push for rapid rocket reusability. Previous flights have seen the vehicle’s exterior shredded by reentry heat, underscoring the technical complexity of its design. (Inputs from Financial Express)

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