SpaceX scrubs massive Starship test flight launch in Texas after pressurization issue
SpaceX continued Starship countdown as 'wet dress rehearsal' for next launch attempt
Elon Musk’s SpaceX scrubbed the first test flight for its Starship spacecraft — the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket – from its Starbase in Texas on Monday morning.
Crews identified a first-stage pressurization issue that prevented the 394-foot, stainless steel rocket from firing, but were still able to count down to T-minus 10 seconds as part of a "wet dress rehearsal," SpaceX said.
"A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today," Musk, CEO of SpaceX, wrote on Twitter.
SpaceX said it must wait at least 48 hours before attempting the rocket's next launch.
SPACEX CLEARED BY FAA TO TEST LAUNCH MASSIVE 394-FOOT STARSHIP
SpaceX is attempting to send the spacecraft atop the colossal booster around the world, from the southern tip of Texas all the way to Hawaii.
This undated photo provided by SpaceX shows the company's Starship rocket at the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. (SpaceX via AP / AP Newsroom)
The first stage will be discarded in the Gulf of Mexico and the spacecraft into the Pacific. No landings will be attempted for this debut.
This photo provided by SpaceX shows the company's Starship rocket at the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (SpaceX via AP / AP Newsroom)
It will be the first launch attempt of a full-size Starship, made of shiny stainless steel and powered by methane-fueled engines.
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Musk envisions using Starships to send people to the moon and Mars. NASA has already signed up for a Starship to put astronauts on the lunar surface as early as 2025.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.