SpaceX calls off Super Heavy-Starship test flight after trouble with ground systems

SpaceX was forced to scrub its tenth Starship test flight after three consecutive catastrophic failures, as reported by CBS News space correspondent William Harwood.

The company called off Sunday's launch from its Texas Starbase facility due to ground systems issues just as crews were fueling the massive 40-story rocket. This setback comes after three straight in-flight failures that destroyed previous test vehicles, raising concerns about SpaceX's timeline for NASA's Artemis moon missions and Mars exploration goals. The flight was designed to test critical upgrades and deliberately stress the vehicle to identify potential problems.

• SpaceX scrubbed the launch due to unspecified ground systems troubleshooting needs
• Recent failures included propellant leaks, onboard fires, and multiple engine malfunctions across three test flights
• The program's delays threaten NASA's 2027 moon landing target, which requires 10-20 successful Starship flights for fuel transfer
• Competition intensifies as China plans its own crewed lunar mission by 2030