Engine anomaly stops countdown
On July 16, the space company SpaceX halted a scheduled demonstration flight of its Starship vehicle when several of the craft's engines did not fire during the ignition sequence. The attempt, designated Flight 13, was terminated before liftoff as a precautionary measure.
The interruption appeared to be triggered by the launch system's built-in safeguards, which prevent departure when propulsion units are not all operating as expected. No details were immediately released regarding a revised schedule for the next attempt.
Context of the test campaign
Starship is being developed as a fully reusable transportation architecture intended for satellites, cargo and eventual crewed missions beyond Earth orbit. Prior flights in the series focused on validating booster performance, stage separation and atmospheric reentry. Confirmation that every engine is running is a mandatory step before the vehicle is cleared for launch.
- Date of abort: July 16
- Vehicle involved: Starship (Flight 13)
- Cause: Partial engine ignition failure
- Status: Launch postponed