Image Credits:SpaceX

4:01 PM PDT · July 16, 2026

SpaceX abruptly aborted the second attempted launch of its upgraded Starship rocket system on Thursday, just moments after the booster ignited at the company’s complex in South Texas.

The company was trying to return to flight just a few weeks after the first-ever launch of Starship V3 in May.

CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X that “[s]ome of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort” and that the company would try again “hopefully in a few days.”