Washington, United States. SpaceX is targeting Monday for another Starship test launch after an automated abort stopped Thursday’s attempt during engine ignition. The delay coincided with a roughly 6 per cent decline in the newly public company’s shares, erasing about $100 billion in market value.
Engine ignition abort
Starship’s engines ignited for its 13th test flight from Texas, but the rocket did not lift off after an automated abort command shut down the engines early.
Four of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 engines did not ignite, according to a live SpaceX depiction of the booster’s engines.
Elon Musk said on X that the abort was triggered because “some of the engines didn’t start.”
Launch preparations
SpaceX on Friday removed the Starship upper stage from its Super Heavy booster and plans to replace two Raptor engines, Musk said.
The company is taking the step “to be confident of a good flight,” Musk said, without providing further details on why some engines did not start.
“Most probable launch timing is early next week,” he added. SpaceX’s website said Starship could launch “as early as Monday, July 20.”
Investor reaction
Launch delays are not uncommon for the rocket development programme, which has been marked by engineering milestones and explosive testing failures. However, SpaceX shares fell to $124.30 following the abort.
The stock had already declined from a post-IPO high of $225.64 and fell below SpaceX’s $135 IPO price on Wednesday. The abort accelerated the decline.
Chad Anderson, chief executive of Space Capital and a SpaceX investor since 2017, said the market reaction did not alter his long-term view of the company and Starship programme.
Some SpaceX employees on X, which is owned by SpaceX, also sought to explain the abort and the delay to next week.
