SpaceX is standing down from its eighth uncrewed test flight of its gargantuan Starship rocket due to an undisclosed issue with the Super Heavy booster. The launch was set to take place at SpaceX’s Starbase facilities in South Texas but was scrubbed just hours before liftoff.
The company, led by Elon Musk, had opted to wait until later to stack the Starship spacecraft atop the Super Heavy booster in an effort to make the rocket more nimble. This last-minute assembly is not common in the world of rocketry.
According to Dan Huot, a SpaceX spokesperson, the decision was made to continue chasing the goal of making Starship as quick and agile as possible. The company will attempt to launch again within 24 hours.
The launch was initially expected to take place six weeks after an explosive mishap during the vehicle’s seventh test flight. The mid-air explosion on January 16 caused debris to rain down over the islands of Turks and Caicos, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later cleared SpaceX for the next launch attempt.
SpaceX has been testing its Starship spacecraft since last year, with several successful launches under its belt. The company’s key test objectives for this mission included reigniting a Starship engine in space and deploying mock satellites as part of a demonstration. However, due to the issues with the Super Heavy booster, these objectives will now have to wait.
The FAA is currently investigating the January explosion, but has given SpaceX the green light to proceed with this launch attempt. If successful, the next launch could mark an important milestone in the development of Starship and its potential use for deep space missions.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/03/science/starship-launch-test-flight-8/index.html