SpaceX canceled its first Starship launch since its massive initial public offering in June. On Thursday, SpaceX withdrew from a launch attempt of its upgraded Starship rocket after an engine problem caused an automatic shutdown before liftoff at the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas. CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X that
SpaceX canceled its first Starship launch since its massive initial public offering in June.
On Thursday, SpaceX withdrew from a launch attempt of its upgraded Starship rocket after an engine problem caused an automatic shutdown before liftoff at the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas.
CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X that “some of the engines failed to start, causing an automatic launch abort.” He added that the company would try again, “hopefully in a few days.”
Some of the engines did not start, causing an automatic abort of the launch.
Now unloading propellant.
The next launch attempt is expected to be in a few days.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2026
The launch was intended to mark Starship’s return to flight weeks after the V3 vehicle’s debut in May.
Thursday’s test was also the first Starship launch attempt since SpaceX’s public debut on June 12, which raised more than $85 billion in what the company described as the largest IPO in history. After briefly reaching a market valuation comparable to Amazon and Microsoft, SpaceX stock has since retreated.
The stock closed Thursday below its IPO price of $135. Shares fell more than 4% in after-hours trading following the aborted launch before recouping some of those losses.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.