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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Elon Musk’s SpaceX unexpectedly postponed the 10th test flight of its next-generation super-heavy rocket, Starship, which had been scheduled for August 24 (local time) in Texas.
According to Reuters, the fully stacked Starship and Super Heavy booster had completed propellant loading on the launch pad. However, about 30 minutes before liftoff, SpaceX announced a halt, citing an issue with the ground support system. The company later stated on its official website that it plans to attempt another launch on August 25.
So far this year, Starship has faced a series of failures—including mid-flight explosions, unsuccessful orbital insertions, and a test stand accident. Nevertheless, SpaceX remains committed to its “learning through failure” strategy, rapidly building new prototypes and conducting repeated test flights. NASA has targeted 2027 for Starship’s deployment in a crewed lunar landing mission.
The latest test flight was designed to validate engine configurations with the Super Heavy booster’s splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, simulate satellite deployment from the upper stage, and evaluate the durability of heat shield tiles and aerodynamic flaps during atmospheric reentry. SpaceX noted that the goal was to push the flaps to their structural limits during the descent.
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
