“Standing down from today’s flight test attempt,” SpaceX posted on X, the social media platform owned by Musk. “Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly.”
The company has not yet confirmed when the next attempt will be made, though SpaceX employee Dan Huot suggested during a live feed that a new launch attempt could come “in about 24 hours” if the issue is swiftly resolved.
What is Starship and Why Does It Matter?
Standing at a towering 403 feet (123 metres), Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It’s nearly 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, designed to carry heavy payloads and, one day, humans to Mars.
Its booster stage, called Super Heavy, is powered by 33 Raptor engines, generating an immense 16 million pounds of thrust. The upper stage, simply called Starship, is crafted from stainless steel, giving it a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic.
Musk envisions Starship as a fully reusable vehicle, capable of revolutionising space travel by making deep-space missions affordable and routine. NASA has already signed on to use a modified version of Starship for the Artemis programme, aiming to land astronauts on the Moon in 2027.
What Went Wrong Last Time?
Starship’s last flight, in January, was an improvement over previous attempts but still ended in failure. The booster separated as planned, and the upper-stage spacecraft ignited its engines, but just two minutes into the flight, disaster struck.SpaceX later explained that unexpected vibrations, or “rhythmic oscillations,” led to a propellant leak in the “attic” section near the engines. Flames soon erupted, forcing all but one of the engines to shut down. Shortly after, the self-destruct system was triggered, sending debris raining down over the Caribbean, including the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Following an investigation, SpaceX introduced several modifications to address these issues, including redesigned feed lines to reduce oscillations, adjustments to propellant temperatures, and enhanced venting systems to prevent fire hazards.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Political Tensions
Starship’s progress hasn’t just been hindered by technical challenges. Regulatory oversight has also played a role. After the January failure, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded Starship pending a safety review. Last Friday, the FAA granted SpaceX a licence for this latest test flight, though the agency is still finalising its review of SpaceX’s internal investigation.
Musk has long criticised the FAA for what he sees as excessive scrutiny, often clashing with regulators over safety and environmental concerns. His relationship with the agency became particularly tense during Joe Biden’s presidency. Now, as one of Donald Trump’s close advisors, Musk faces fresh allegations of using his influence to sway regulatory decisions in favour of his businesses.
What’s Different This Time?
The postponed flight was expected to last just over an hour and introduce a range of new upgrades. Notably, SpaceX planned to test a new satellite deployment mechanism that resembles a Pez dispenser. The system would eject four dummy satellites similar in size and shape to those used for SpaceX’s Starlink internet service. These test units were designed to burn up harmlessly in the Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX also aimed to improve Starship’s re-entry capabilities. The upper stage was to pivot into a vertical position and simulate a landing over water, helping engineers refine techniques for future recoveries.
The company had another ambitious goal: catching the booster stage using the launch tower’s massive mechanical arms, nicknamed “chopsticks.” SpaceX has successfully achieved this twice before, including in January’s flight.
The Road to Crewed Missions
Despite setbacks, SpaceX remains determined to prove Starship’s reliability before launching crewed missions. NASA’s Artemis III mission, planned for 2027, depends on a modified version of Starship to transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface. However, any further failures could lead to delays—or even the cancellation—of this contract.
Additionally, SpaceX must demonstrate complex in-orbit refuelling before Starship can undertake long-distance missions to Mars. This involves using other Starships as fuel tankers—something that has never been successfully attempted in spaceflight history.
Musk, ever the optimist, believes full reusability is within reach. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, he said, “We’ve got to solve making a fully reusable orbital heat shield. A problem that has never been solved before.” He added that Starship’s booster is already “pretty close to achieving full and rapid reusability,” and he expects the entire system to be reusable next year.
For now, SpaceX is working to resolve the issue that grounded Monday’s launch attempt. If the problem can be fixed swiftly, Starship could take flight as early as Tuesday.
With each test, SpaceX inches closer to making Starship operational. But before Musk’s dream of reaching Mars can be realised, the company must first prove that Starship can reliably get off the ground, complete its mission, and return safely. The next flight will be another crucial step in that journey.