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4h ago

SpaceX Scrubs Starship Flight 10 Minutes Before Liftoff Over Ground Systems Issue

The last-minute stand-down highlights mounting scrutiny of Starship’s reliability after a string of 2025 failures.

A SpaceX Super Heavy booster carrying the Starship spacecraft vents before the launch is scrubbed to allow for troubleshooting of a ground issue at the company's launch complex in Starbase, Texas, U.S., August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
A SpaceX Starship spacecraft rolls out toward its launch pad past the Starbase Manufacturing Facility before its 10th test flight from the company's complex in Starbase, Texas, U.S., August 23, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius
A SpaceX Starship spacecraft sits atop a super heavy booster at the launch pad Aug. 25 before its scheduled tenth test flight, at the company's complex in Starbase, Texas. SpaceX scrubbed the launch and is now targeting an Aug. 25 launch window.
A SpaceX Starship spacecraft sits atop a super heavy booster at the launch pad before its scheduled tenth test flight, at the company's complex in Starbase, Texas, U.S., August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius

Overview

  • The uncrewed test from Starbase, Texas, was called off roughly 15 minutes before a planned 6:30 p.m. local liftoff, with SpaceX citing an issue with ground systems in a post on X.
  • Elon Musk later said a ground-side liquid oxygen leak needs fixing, and SpaceX has not confirmed a new launch time as potential backup opportunities were noted in local road closures.
  • Flight 10 planned to test stage separation, an in-space Raptor restart, deployment of mock Starlink satellites, and reentry heat-shield tiles and flaps, with the Super Heavy booster targeting a soft water landing instead of a tower catch.
  • The scrub follows three consecutive upper-stage losses in 2025 and a June static-fire explosion on the ground; the FAA has closed its probe into May’s flight with no injuries reported.
  • The program carries high stakes as Starship underpins NASA’s Artemis lunar lander plans and Musk’s long-term Mars ambitions, drawing increased pressure from analysts to demonstrate reliability.