SpaceX scrubbed a Starship V3 test launch from Starbase, Texas, when a hydraulic pin on the tower arm failed to retract, postponing a planned retry for Friday. The flight would have been the 12th Starship test and the first from a new pad for the redesigned V3, featuring updated heat shields and upgraded Raptor engines. The abort came shortly after SpaceX filed for an IPO that could value the company at $1.75tn and disclosed billions in cumulative losses. Engineers will attempt another launch if the tower issue is fixed.
SpaceX Scrubs Starship V3 Test Launch After Hydraulic Pin Failure — IPO Filing Follows
SpaceX postponed the Starship launch on Thursday after technical issues - Reuters
SpaceX called off a planned test launch of its Starship V3 from Starbase, Texas, late Thursday after a hydraulic pin on the tower arm failed to retract, forcing engineers to scrub the countdown and plan a retry for Friday.
What Happened
The vehicle, dubbed Starship V3, was scheduled to lift off at 5:30pm local time and was later moved into a 6:30pm window. The countdown entered a T‑40 hold while the team investigated an issue; the launch was ultimately aborted at about 6:45pm local time. Elon Musk posted on X that "the hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place did not retract," adding that if the problem could be fixed overnight there would be another attempt at 5:30 CT the following day.
Technical Details
Starship is a two-stage launch system comprising a 237ft Super Heavy booster and a 171ft Starship second stage, combining to roughly 400ft in height. This mission was to be the 12th test flight and the debut of the redesigned V3 from a new launch pad. The V3 vehicle features updated heat shields and lighter, more powerful Raptor engines.
Mr Musk said the hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place ‘did not retract’ - Reuters
On this flight the booster was planned to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the second stage would climb into space, deploy several dummy satellites and return. For this test, SpaceX intentionally removed a heat-shield panel to evaluate reentry durability under abnormal conditions.
Context: IPO Filing And Finances
The scrubbed launch came a day after SpaceX filed paperwork for a potential initial public offering that could value the company at up to $1.75tn and seek as much as $75bn in new capital. The prospectus disclosed cumulative losses of more than $40bn since inception, a net loss of $4.9bn last year on $18.7bn of revenue, and substantial spending on the Starship programme.
Reaction And Next Steps
Industry observers said the aborted flight is unlikely to derail investor appetite ahead of the IPO, noting that SpaceX’s reputation is built on rapid iteration and learning from test flights. SpaceX announced plans to attempt another launch the next day if the hydraulic issue could be resolved.
Notable Moment: Rapper Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance on SpaceX’s livestream, briefly thanking Elon Musk before stepping off camera.
SpaceX and NASA continue to develop Starship as part of long-term ambitions that include Mars colonisation and support for NASA’s Artemis lunar missions.
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