SpaceX unexpectedly halted the second launch attempt of its enhanced Starship rocket system on Thursday, shortly after the booster ignited at their facility in South Texas. Elon Musk, the CEO, mentioned on his social media platform X that the launch was aborted due to some engines failing to start, which activated an automatic launch abort mechanism. He also stated that the company plans to replace two of these engines. SpaceX is planning to resume Starship launches in the upcoming week, according to a statement. The company initially aimed to deploy its initial third-generation Starlink satellites into space, however, these satellites are designed to decompose 20 minutes post-release due to Starship’s inability to reach Earth’s orbit at this stage. This test launch attempt marks SpaceX’s first since it became public in June following a record-setting IPO. The firm obtained over $85 billion through the deal, causing its worth to momentarily equal that of Amazon and Microsoft. However, the stock has been decreasing consistently over the past month. On Thursday, SpaceX’s stock value dipped below its initial public offering price of $135. The company’s shares dropped over 4% in post-market trading following the unsuccessful launch attempt. SpaceX was attempting to resume operations shortly after the inaugural launch of Starship V3 in May. The mission had a combination of positive and negative outcomes. Successfully launching the first version of the upgraded rocket was a significant achievement, and the company managed to send several Starlink simulators into space. However, the Super Heavy booster stage encountered a malfunction prior to its simulated landing in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an FAA-mandated investigation to identify the cause of the failure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the company permission to operate Starship once more this week. They discovered several reasons for the booster failure and implemented solutions for it. During the May mission, the Starship’s upper stage experienced engine loss while en route to deploying the Starlink simulators.
