SpaceX plans Thursday retry of Starship's 13th test flight after engine issue fix
SpaceX will attempt a second launch of its Starship rocket on Thursday, having replaced engines and updated the propulsion system following a last-second abort during the previous countdown.
SpaceX is preparing to launch the Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in South Texas on Thursday, with a launch window opening at 5:45 p.m. Central Time. The attempt follows a last-second scrub of the previous week’s countdown when an automatic abort was triggered less than a second before liftoff after several engines failed to ignite.
Engine replacements, propulsion system updates and additional testing were completed after the abort, aiming to resolve the issue that halted the earlier attempt. > "We’ve got the vehicle; they’re still on the pad, and they’re going to get these commodities offloaded," said Dan Huot, a SpaceX spokesperson, adding that analysis of the abort cause will take time.
The flight will be Starship’s 13th test launch, part of a program that began in 2023 to gather data and refine the vehicle. If successful, the rocket will carry 20 test Starlink satellites, demonstrating its capacity for larger payloads. The mission also supports SpaceX’s broader goals, including providing launch services for NASA’s Artemis lunar program and future Mars missions. Weather along the Texas Gulf Coast remains a variable that could affect the launch schedule.