By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Monday postponed the 10th launch attempt of its Starship rocket, citing unfavorable weather at its Starbase facilities in Texas.
“Standing down from today’s flight test attempt due to weather. Starship team is determining the next best available opportunity to fly,” SpaceX said on the US social media company X’s platform, which is also owned by Musk.
The 232-foot (70.7-meter) Super Heavy booster and its 171-foot (52-meter) Starship upper half – together taller than the Statue of Liberty – was fully fueled and minutes away from liftoff when the company called off the flight.
SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said during the live broadcast there is a “very good chance” of a launch on Tuesday evening.
The SpaceX Starship is a vehicle critical to NASA's plans to return astronauts to the Moon by mid-2027 or 2028.