Starship Test Flight Scrubbed Again | Science News

SpaceX’s 13th Starship test flight was scrubbed seconds before liftoff after a booster hold triggered engine shutdowns — but don’t worry, another attempt could come as early as Friday. This mission aimed to repeat last time’s near-orbit trajectory, with the booster targeting a Gulf splashdown (missed before) and Starship’s new upgrades including a risky engine reignition — both skipped last time. Starship is SpaceX’s next-gen workhorse, designed to replace Falcon 9 and haul massive payloads — and NASA’s moon ambitions hinge on it, with Artemis III crewed lunar docking needing Starship’s orbital reliability by 2028. But with SpaceX reportedly falling behind NASA’s timeline, the agency’s now developing a Blue Origin backup lander. These early tests are make-or-break: proving Starship can fly, land, and repeat it safely — or risk missing the moon race entirely. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/914c30ab590fd319