SpaceX aborts second Starship V3 launch after engine ignition failure
Original: SpaceX suddenly aborts second Starship V3 launch after ignition
Why This Matters
Starship V3 is central to SpaceX's orbital data center ambitions and Starlink's continued expansion as its sole profitable business unit.
SpaceX aborted the second attempted launch of its Starship V3 rocket on July 16 at its South Texas facility after several Raptor engines failed to ignite at liftoff. CEO Elon Musk said an automatic abort was triggered and a retry could come within days.
SpaceX abruptly aborted the second launch attempt of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket on Thursday, July 16, moments after the Super Heavy booster ignited at the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility. CEO Elon Musk posted on X that 'some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort,' adding that SpaceX would try again 'hopefully in a few days.' Broadcast graphics indicated that four Raptor engines failed to fire at ignition. The mission aimed to deploy SpaceX's first third-generation Starlink satellites, though they were designed to burn up approximately 20 minutes after deployment, as Starship has yet to demonstrate orbital capability. SpaceX must now drain propellant from both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage before investigating the cause. The abort comes weeks after the first-ever Starship V3 launch in May, which saw a Super Heavy booster failure ahead of a simulated Gulf of Mexico landing and an upper stage engine loss — though the upper stage's simulated water landing succeeded. The FAA had cleared SpaceX to fly again earlier this week after reviewing May's incident. This is also SpaceX's first launch attempt since its IPO on June 12, which raised over $85 billion. SpaceX stock closed below its $135 IPO price Thursday and fell more than 4% in after-hours trading following the abort.