Aerospace giant SpaceX aborted the second launch of its third-generation Starship rocket at the last second on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at the Boca Chica facility in Texas. The Super Heavy booster ignited normally, but four of the new Raptor engines failed to start, triggering an automatic abort sequence. CEO Elon Musk said on X that some engines did not ignite, causing the abort, and that two of them will be replaced. The next attempt will not occur before next week.
The event is a setback for the company, which aimed to deploy the first third-generation Starlink satellites into space. These satellites are designed to burn up in the atmosphere about 20 minutes after deployment, as Starship has yet to demonstrate the ability to reach Earth orbit. This launch attempt was also the first since SpaceX went public on June 12, 2026, in the largest IPO ever, raising over $85 billion. However, the stock has steadily declined: it closed Thursday below its IPO price of $135 and dropped more than 4% in after-hours trading after the abort.
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Return to flight after a mixed May debut
SpaceX aimed to return to flight just weeks after the first Starship V3 launch in May. That mission was a milestone, lifting off with the first version of the upgraded rocket and deploying Starlink simulators, but the Super Heavy booster failed before a simulated landing in the Gulf of Mexico. The FAA ordered a review, clearing the company to fly again only earlier this week after identifying causes and fixes. During the May mission, the upper stage also lost an engine but still performed a successful simulated water landing.
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Thursday's objective was to take another step forward by launching V3 Starlink satellites, crucial for SpaceX's ambitious plans to prove the viability of orbital data centers. Starlink remains the largest revenue generator and the only profitable part of SpaceX's business.
Launch sequence halted at T-0
The countdown proceeded smoothly, with a brief hold at T-minus one minute that cleared quickly. As the count expired, the water deluge system activated and the booster began firing its engines, only for everything to shut down abruptly. SpaceX's broadcast graphics indicated that four Raptor engines did not ignite. Now SpaceX must offload propellant from both stages and precisely determine the cause of the failure.
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For broader context on regulatory challenges, check the article China accelerates on AI while Europe debates rules. Additionally, launch aborts in the space industry are rare but designed for safety, as noted by NASA. For more on Starship's development, see Wikipedia's Starship development history.
SpaceX now focuses on the technical fix, while investors watch the stock's performance. No new date has been set, but Musk stated the next attempt will occur next week.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/spacex-suddenly-aborts-second-starship-v3-launch-after-ignition
