SpaceX’s much-anticipated first attempt to launch its Starship, the largest rocket ever built, has been called off in the final minutes of the countdown on Monday morning. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, revealed that a valve on the rocket’s first stage had frozen, causing a pressurization issue.
A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023
With Monday’s aborted launch it will be at least two days before another attempt is made from the company’s facility in southern Texas. Musk did say that the delay has allowed the company to learn more about the rocket, and SpaceX will attempt to launch the rocket again “in a few days.”
The launch of Starship is critical to SpaceX, but also NASA’s Artemis moon program, with the rocket expected to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface from the agency’s SLS rocket and Orion capsule. The company was awarded a $2.9 billion contract by NASA to use Starship to land its astronauts on the moon.
SpaceX is also hoping to get Starship flying so it can deliver its next-generation Starlink satellites to orbit, beaming internet signals to ground stations worldwide. SpaceX is revolutionizing space travel with its mission to make humanity a multi-planetary species. If successful, the Starship would be the key to achieving this ambitious goal.
