SpaceX Starship Test Flight Halted by Launch Tower Issues
SpaceX's newest and biggest Starship will have to wait at least another day before launching on a test flight from Texas
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX got within a half-minute of launching its newest and biggest Starship on a test flight Thursday evening before a cascade of problems halted the countdown.
The 407-foot (124-meter) rocket was poised to begin a space-skimming journey from Texas extending halfway around the world. But issues cropped up with the brand-new pad at Starbase near the Mexican border, and the company ran out of time.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later said the hydraulic pin holding the launch tower's arm in place did not retract. If the problem can be fixed quickly, another launch attempt will be made Friday, he noted.
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Thursday's launch attempt came one day after Musk announced that his rocket company would be going public.
Starship holds 20 mock Starlink satellites to be released before the spacecraft's controlled entry into the Indian Ocean at the end of the hourlong flight. It will be the 12th test flight for a Starship and the first since last fall.
NASA is relying on this latest version of Starship to land astronauts on the moon in a few years.
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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2026 05:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
