SpaceX Aborts 13th Starship Test Flight at Engine Ignition

SpaceX aborted its 13th Starship test flight on Thursday just as the vehicle's engines were set to ignite. The launch sequence was halted by computer systems at the final countdown moment, preventing an immediate restart. The company is currently investigating the cause of the shutdown.

This abort forced SpaceX to offload the liquid methane and liquid oxygen fuel from the rocket. The launch, scheduled for 6:45 p.m. local time, was intended to be the second of the year for the third model of the Starship. The rocket's inaugural flight occurred on May 22.

SpaceX aimed to refine the performance of this latest Starship version, particularly its Super Heavy booster, the first stage of the vehicle. The mission's objectives included successful stage separation and for the Super Heavy booster to perform engine re-ignitions during its return and landing phase, with a planned touchdown on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

This flight was also notable for being the first to carry next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. The plan was for the rocket to deploy twenty V3 satellites on a suborbital trajectory, giving them twenty minutes to connect to the main Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers before they would disintegrate upon re-entry. NASA is closely observing the Starship program, as it relies on this version for its Artemis missions to transport astronauts to the lunar surface, a mission now rescheduled for mid-2027.