SpaceX scrubs Starship test flight over unspecified ship issue

SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster is seen on the launch pad, as Starship is prepared to be placed on top, at the company’s Boca Chica complex, ahead of Starship’s eighth test flight which is targeted from Starbase, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

SpaceX on Monday (March 3, 2025) called off its eighth Starship test flight from Texas over an unspecified issue on the rocket system’s core ship, delaying for at least 24 hours the company’s attempt to deploy mock Starlink satellites in space for the first time.

The test mission would have been the first Starship launch since a January mission ended eight minutes into flight when Starship, the main top half of the rocket, exploded over the Caribbean, sending fiery debris raining over the Turks and Caicos Islands and prompting a federal probe.

The scrub occurred during a pause to the launch countdown 40 seconds from liftoff that was triggered so SpaceX employees could investigate an issue on the rocket, according to a company live stream.

SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said the company could try to launch again on Tuesday (March 4, 2025), pending the nature of the issue.