SpaceX Starship's 8th test flight scrubbed

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SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites into orbit

On Tuesday, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched more Starlink satellites into orbit from Florida.

SpaceX scrubbed its test launch of its eighth starship rocket on Monday.

"Standing down from today’s flight test attempt. Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly," SpaceX wrote on X on Monday afternoon. 

SpaceX mission scrubbed

What we know:

Moments before the launch, the countdown clock briefly restarted but then was promptly put on hold again as computers detected more issues. 

People view SpaceX Starship Flight 8 as it is stationed near Orbital Launch Pad A ahead of launch at Boca Chica beach on March 03, 2025 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. (Credit: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

SpaceX’s Dan Huot then said the company was going to offload the millions of pounds of propellant on board the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster.

What we don't know:

The company did not say when SpaceX would attempt the test again. But Huot said it’s possible they will try again tomorrow.

The backstory:

The flight was expected to fly the same suborbital trajectory as previous missions and would target objectives not reached on its previous test, including Starship’s first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch. The flight would also include the launch, return, and catch of the Super Heavy booster.

During the flight test, Starship was expected to deploy four Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites, as the first exercise of a satellite deploy mission.

SpaceX made changes following 7th fight test

Dig deeper:

After completing the investigation into the loss of Starship early on its seventh flight test, SpaceX said several hardware and operational changes were made to increase reliability of the upper stage.

The company said extensive upgrades to Starship’s upper stage debuted on the previous flight test, focused on adding reliability and performance across all phases of flight. 

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