Elon Musk’s SpaceX has delayed the first orbital launch of its Starship rocket scheduled for today and is planning a new launch on Wednesday. The company announced the mission was scrubbed just 15 minutes before launch due to a “pressurization issue.”
CNBC reports that the eagerly anticipated launch of SpaceX’s new Starship rocket on Monday had to be postponed. Due to a pressurization problem with the Super Heavy booster, the company announced a “scrub” with less than 15 minutes left in the countdown.
Shortly before the scheduled launch, John Insprucker, the principal integration engineer at SpaceX, stated that the Starship first stage team was “working a pressurization issue” that, if left unattended to, would prevent the launch and lead to a wet dress rehearsal. In addition, Insprucker said that the business is in touch with the U.S. Coast Guard about a boat that is “in the safety perimeter” and is attempting to find a solution in time for the launch.
After the flight director decided to cancel the launch, SpaceX continued the countdown until about the 10-second mark to gather more information about the procedure known as a “wet dress rehearsal” for loading the rocket with propellant. According to a tweet from Musk, a pressure valve on the rocket “appears to be frozen.”
Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few days …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023
Years of regulatory work and technological testing led to the Starship orbital launch. The experimental nature of the launch has been continuously emphasized by SpaceX leadership. The company originally intended to conduct the first orbital Starship launch as early as summer 2021, but development setbacks and FAA approval delays have pushed back the timeline.
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan