SpaceX postpones Starship test flight over ground system issue

SpaceX Delays Starship’s 10th Launch Over Ground Systems Issue

Elon Musk’s SpaceX postponed the Starship’s 10th launch from Texas on Sunday due to an issue with its launch site ground systems, pushing back key development milestones for the company’s next-generation rocket.

The 70.7-metre Super Heavy booster and its 52-metre Starship upper stage were fully stacked and being fueled at SpaceX’s Starbase facility ahead of the scheduled liftoff at 7:35 p.m. ET (4:35 a.m. PKT). About 30 minutes before launch, SpaceX announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the mission was on hold to allow additional troubleshooting.

Elon Musk, who had planned to give an update on Starship’s progress before liftoff, also canceled the live stream. SpaceX’s website indicates that the next launch attempt could happen as early as Monday, August 25.

This delay follows a series of setbacks for SpaceX’s Starship program, which is central to the company’s future Mars ambitions and its broader commercial launch business. The rocket has faced repeated challenges in 2025, including two early flight failures, another in-space failure during its ninth mission, and a massive test stand explosion in June that scattered debris into nearby Mexican territory.

Despite these hurdles, SpaceX continues its rapid production of new Starship prototypes at Starbase. NASA is planning to use Starship for its first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo program by 2027.

The latest version of Starship includes several upgrades: increased thrust, a more durable heat shield, and reinforced steering flaps crucial for atmospheric reentry — all aimed at making the rocket fully reusable.

Had the mission proceeded, the Super Heavy booster would have lifted off from Texas and targeted a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico, while Starship’s upper stage would have attempted to release a batch of mock Starlink satellites before a controlled reentry over the Indian Ocean. The reentry phase is designed to test new heat shield tiles and rear flaps, which have been prone to damage in earlier flights.

According to Wikipedia, Starship’s test-to-failure approach remains critical for its development and long-term goal of deep space missions, including Mars colonization.

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