SpaceX Aborts Second Starship V3 Launch Attempt as Shares Fall

SpaceX has abruptly aborted the second attempted launch of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket, moments after the booster ignited at the company's launch facility in South Texas, Sean O'Kane reported for TechCrunch.

SpaceX's Starship V3 launch was automatically aborted shortly after engine ignition at the company's South Texas launch facility. (Photo: SpaceX X)

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in a post on X that "some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort," adding that the company would attempt another launch "hopefully in a few days."

The mission was intended to deploy the first batch of SpaceX's third-generation Starlink satellites.

However, the satellites were expected to burn up about 20 minutes after deployment because Starship has yet to demonstrate the ability to achieve stable Earth orbit.

The launch attempt was also the company's first Starship test since SpaceX went public on June 12 in what TechCrunch described as the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history.

The company reportedly raised more than US$85 billion and briefly reached valuations comparable to Amazon and Microsoft before its shares declined over the following month.

SpaceX shares on the same week closed below their IPO price of US$135 and fell more than 4% in after-hours trading following the aborted launch.