SpaceX delayed its 10th Starship rocket launch on Monday as cloudy weather in Boca Chica, Texas, forced engineers to pivot to a rehearsal ahead of a rescheduled Tuesday attempt. The setback highlights ongoing challenges in developing the world's largest rocket system, which CEO Elon Musk envisions as humanity's vehicle for Mars colonization.
The two-stage Starship – standing taller than the Statue of Liberty at 397 feet (121 meters) – remained grounded despite being fully fueled. SpaceX scrubbed the launch just minutes before the scheduled liftoff, citing persistent poor weather conditions throughout the launch window.
This marks the second delay in three days for the mission, following a liquid oxygen leak that canceled Sunday's attempt. Musk emphasized on social media that Starship's reusable design requires rigorous testing, though development hurdles this year have included multiple mid-flight failures and a June test stand explosion that scattered debris into neighboring areas.
SpaceX plans to retry the launch on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. local time. Success would bring the company closer to demonstrating the rapid reusability needed to slash spaceflight costs – a critical factor for both commercial satellite deployments and NASA's Artemis moon program.
