SpaceX Aborts Second Starship V3 Flight Seconds Before Liftoff
SpaceX halted the second planned flight of its upgraded Starship V3 launch system on Thursday after several engines failed to ignite correctly at the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas.
The launch sequence had reached the ignition stage, with the Super Heavy booster beginning to fire its engines, when the rocket’s automated safety system stopped the attempt moments before liftoff. The mission would have represented Starship’s 13th integrated flight test and the second launch involving the third-generation Starship and Super Heavy design.
Engine Issue Triggers Automatic Shutdown
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained the reason for the aborted launch in a post on X, writing that “[s]ome of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort”.
According to Musk, SpaceX plans to remove and replace two Raptor engines before making another launch attempt. He indicated that the most likely timing for the next attempt would be early next week.
Although broadcast graphics appeared to indicate that four engines had not fired during ignition, Musk did not confirm the total number affected. The Super Heavy booster is powered by 33 Raptor engines, all of which form part of the coordinated ignition and launch sequence.
SpaceX must now safely remove the propellant from both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage before engineers can complete a detailed inspection and prepare the rocket for another attempt.
Countdown Reached Its Final Moments
Thursday’s countdown had progressed largely as planned. A brief hold was called at T-minus one minute, but the issue was quickly cleared and the countdown resumed.
When the countdown reached zero, the launchpad’s water-deluge system activated and the booster visibly began firing its engines. The launch was then abruptly terminated as the automatic abort system responded to the incomplete engine-start sequence.
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said the company had triggered a hold on the booster while the Raptor engines were beginning to ignite, preventing the vehicle from leaving the launchpad. The abort happened less than a second before the scheduled liftoff at 5:45 p.m. Central Time.
Starlink V3 Deployment Delayed
The test flight was intended to carry SpaceX’s first third-generation Starlink satellites aboard Starship.
SpaceX planned to deploy 20 production Starlink V3 satellites during the suborbital mission. The satellites were expected to extend their solar arrays and antennas, connect briefly with the wider Starlink constellation through high-capacity laser links and collect information during the flight.
However, the satellites were not intended to remain in space. Because Starship has not yet demonstrated the ability to reach Earth orbit, they were expected to follow the spacecraft’s suborbital trajectory and burn up during atmospheric re-entry around 20 minutes after deployment.
The upgraded Starship and Starlink V3 technologies are important to SpaceX’s wider strategy. In addition to expanding satellite internet capacity, the company has presented the launch system as a potential foundation for highly ambitious projects such as large-scale orbital infrastructure and “orbital data centers”.
Starlink is SpaceX’s largest source of revenue and represents the strongest-performing part of the company’s commercial operations, making Starship’s ability to launch larger numbers of next-generation satellites particularly important to its long-term business model.
First V3 Flight Delivered Mixed Results
The aborted attempt came only a few weeks after the first-ever Starship V3 launch in May.
Starship Flight 12 lifted off from Starbase on May 22, 2026. It marked the first flight of the third-generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, the first use of Raptor 3 engines during a full flight and the first launch from SpaceX’s second Starship pad.
Successfully launching the first version of a substantially upgraded rocket represented an important technical milestone. SpaceX also managed to release modified Starlink demonstration satellites during the mission.
Nevertheless, the flight experienced several problems. The Super Heavy booster suffered a failure before it could complete a simulated landing in the Gulf of Mexico. The Federal Aviation Administration subsequently required SpaceX to investigate the mishap.
The investigation identified heat effects on propulsion-system components and incorrect engine-alarm settings as the two most probable causes of the booster’s loss. SpaceX proposed four corrective measures, including hardware and software configuration changes. The FAA closed the investigation and cleared Flight 13 to proceed earlier this week.
Starship’s upper stage also lost an engine while travelling towards the point where the Starlink simulators were deployed. Despite that problem, the spacecraft completed its simulated water-landing sequence successfully.
Aborted Flight Adds Pressure Following IPO
Thursday’s mission was also set to become SpaceX’s first Starship test launch since the company went public on June 12.
SpaceX raised more than $85 billion through the transaction, which was described as the largest IPO in history. Its shares were priced at $135, while the company’s valuation briefly moved into the same territory as major technology groups such as Amazon and Microsoft.
However, investor enthusiasm has weakened since the listing. SpaceX shares closed below the IPO price of $135 on Thursday, finishing at $131.11. The stock then sank more than 4% in after-hours trading following the aborted launch, although later reports indicated that some of those losses were reduced.
The market response highlights how closely investors are watching Starship’s progress. The rocket is central not only to future Starlink deployments but also to SpaceX’s lunar, deep-space and orbital-computing plans.
Next Launch Attempt Expected Next Week
SpaceX’s automated abort system prevented the rocket from leaving the pad with an incomplete engine-start sequence, allowing the company to inspect the affected hardware without losing the vehicle.
Engineers will now replace two Raptor engines, analyse the ignition data and complete the necessary propellant-removal and servicing procedures.
Provided those checks do not reveal further problems, SpaceX is expected to make another attempt early next week.
Online References
SpaceX – Starship Flight 12 mission information.
Federal Aviation Administration – Flight 12 mishap investigation and return-to-flight clearance.
Reuters – Starship Flight 13 launch abort and SpaceX share-price reaction.
Spaceflight Now – Flight 13 mission objectives and Starlink V3 deployment details.
US Securities and Exchange Commission – SpaceX IPO filing and $135 share price.
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