SpaceX aborts the launch of its Starship Flight 13 during the countdown shortly before liftoff at Starbase in Texas on Thursday. Multiple outlets report that several engines—part of the rocket’s Raptor engine set—fail to ignite as the vehicle reaches the ignition stage. Spaceflight Now describes an ignition-related anomaly and notes the launch is aborted because of an engine-related issue. Euronews and Space News similarly report that engine failures prevent the launch from proceeding, with Euronews adding that SpaceX replaces two engines ahead of a new attempt early next week.
Several sources characterize the event as an automated, last-second scrub before liftoff, with reports that Raptor engines ignite but shut down shortly afterward or that engines do not ignite fully. SpaceX says it investigates the cause and determines when to retry. The mission is a test flight intended to evaluate improvements to move Starship toward greater reusability. The planned liftoff timing changes, with at least one report indicating a postponement of about 24 hours or a rescheduling to later in the week, though the exact date varies by outlet. No successful launch occurs on this attempt.
