Starship Flight 13: A Last-Second Abort at Starbase

On July 16, 2026 at Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's 13th integrated Starship test reached the point of engine ignition only to be halted at the last moment when the automated launch system detected problems. On-screen telemetry and video showed engine ignition beginning roughly three seconds before the planned liftoff, but four engines were reported not to fire and the remaining 29 shut down almost immediately, leaving the vehicle firmly on the pad. The Super Heavy booster carries 33 Raptor engines, and the abort occurred before any stage separation or ascent could begin.

The Starship upper stage was loaded with 20 Starlink satellites that would have been used to test communications and to image the vehicle's heat shield during flight, while neither stage was intended to be recovered and both would have ended up in the sea. The automatic shutdown reduced the risk of an uncontrolled launch when too few engines were operating, and teams began draining propellant so engineers could inspect hardware.

Flight 12 had revealed a relight problem when five of the booster’s 33 engines failed to restart during a boostback burn, which prompted software and hardware changes; SpaceX implemented a modified startup sequence and additional engine updates ahead of this attempt. Teams said they will inspect and, if needed, replace engines before scheduling a new launch window.

The outcome will influence Starship's near-term test cadence and matters for partners such as NASA, which is relying on Starship variants for planned lunar landings; engineers now face the task of balancing rapid iteration with thorough inspections to reduce recurrence.