SpaceX postpones eighth test of Starship rocket after booster issue

WASHINGTON: SpaceX postponed its eighth test of the Starship rocket just before its scheduled launch on Monday. The launch was delayed after a flight hold was placed due to a Super Heavy booster issue that was not resolved in time for launch, New York Post reported.

The spacecraft was scheduled to take off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in Texas. However, computers flagged a booster issue when just 23 minutes were left in the countdown.

A flight hold was placed, implying that if the issue was unresolved by T-40 seconds, then the countdown would hold to provide more time to finish troubleshooting. The countdown was stopped briefly at T-40, and it again started ticking down for about 10 seconds before another hold was placed, and the clock again went back to 41 seconds.

Watch Starship’s eighth flight test → https://t.co/alyJTRtgTh https://t.co/hlpEF4ICyT

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 2, 2025

After a few minutes, the SpaceX team announced it was standing down from flight test attempt and would try again another day. In a post on X, SpaceX stated, “Standing down from today’s flight test attempt. Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly”.

Standing down from today’s flight test attempt. Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 3, 2025

The test scheduled for Monday was supposed to see the rocket cut across the Gulf of America and practice dispersing dummy satellites before falling back down to earth and landing in the Indian Ocean, New York Post reported. Like the seventh test, it was set to release the booster in hopes that the mechanical arms would manage to catch it for the third time.

On February 19, SpaceX made history after launching a rocket into space from the coast of Florida and landing the rocket booster in another country. The mission on Tuesday marked the first time a Falcon 9 landed on a droneship off the coast of the Bahamas, Fox News reported.

In a post on X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote, “This is the first time that a rocket has taken off from one country, gone to space and landed in another country!” (ANI)