SpaceX postponed the eighth test of the giant spacecraft rocket on Monday, following a flight controller hold placed due to a very heavy booster issue that was not resolved in time for launch.
The spacecraft was scheduled to take off from SpaceX's Starbase facility near Bocachikachica Beach in Texas, but the computer flagged the booster issue in just 23 minutes on the countdown.
Flight holds have been placed. This means that if the problem is resolved in T-40 seconds at a time, the countdown is kept to finish troubleshooting and provide extra time to pass through the final boot checkout.
The countdown paused temporarily on the T-40, another hold was established and began to click for about 10 seconds before the clock returned to 41 seconds.
A few minutes later, the team decided to offload the launch and give it a try again. SpaceX didn't announce it when planning another attempt, but it guaranteed it would soon be.
“We are pausing from today's flight test attempt. The Starship team is deciding what their next best opportunity to fly.” SpaceX Posted on x.
Spacecraft testing has proven troublesome for astronaut companies. The seventh test saw the destruction of the main spaceship rocket exploded in the air, but the mechanical arm of the “Chopsticks” successfully caught the second booster when it returned to Earth.
Monday's test is to practice dispersing the dummy satellite before the rocket is cut across the US Gulf and then returning to Earth to land in the Indian Ocean.
Like the seventh test, it was also set to release boosters in the hopes of the mechanical arm being able to catch the third catch.
