No-Go For First Launch of Starship

SpaceX scrubbed the first launch of the Starship/Super Heavy rocket today because of a pressurization issue on the first stage. Elon Musk tweeted they will try again “in a few days.” Another SpaceX official said it is a minimum 48-hour turnaround.

The countdown appeared to be proceeding smoothly until about 15 minutes before launch when SpaceX commentator John Insprucker advised viewers on SpaceX’s webcast of the pressurization issue and that they might have to hold the launch. They continued with propellant loading for several more minutes, but at 8 minutes 43 seconds before the scheduled launch (T-08:43) Insprucker announced the scrub.

Musk tweeted the problem was a frozen pressurization valve.

A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023

A few minutes later, he said they would try again “in a few days.” SpaceX’s Kate Tice on the webcast said it would be at least 48 hours.

Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few days …

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023

They continued with the countdown as a practice run — a Wet Dress Rehearsal — until T-40 seconds.

This is the first integrated test flight of the first stage, Super Heavy, and the second stage, Starship. Five test flights of a Starship prototype took place in 2020-2021, but Super Heavy has never flown. The first four of the five Starship prototype test flights ended in explosions. Super Heavy has 33 engines, a record for any launch vehicle, and they use a relatively new propellant combination, methane and liquid oxygen, so that will be a test unto itself.

Musk and the SpaceX team focused on the positive aspects of today’s countdown, stressing they are in the data-gathering phase of Starship/Super Heavy’s development and are learning a lot.