SpaceX aborts Starship launch at last second due to engine failure

SpaceX's highly anticipated launch of its Starship rocket was aborted at the last second early Wednesday morning, leaving the massive vehicle grounded.

The automated launch system initiated the abort sequence when several of the Super Heavy booster's 33 Raptor engines failed to ignite during the startup procedure. The rocket, standing over 100 meters tall, remained on the launchpad at Starbase, Texas, as engineers began the process of draining its propellant tanks.

Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, confirmed on his platform X that the issue stemmed from a failure of some Raptor engines to ignite, which automatically triggered the abort. He stated that engineers would replace two specific engines on the booster. Musk indicated that the "most likely" next launch attempt would be early in the following week.

This marks the second time a full-scale Starship test flight has been aborted due to engine problems during ignition. The previous flight in May also experienced engine issues, though they occurred mid-flight rather than at liftoff. The 13th test flight aims to evaluate changes to the engines, including adjustments to the ignition sequence for the booster's return maneuver after separating from the Starship upper stage. Previous flights have faced challenges with engine ignition during landing and optimal separation maneuvers.