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Elon Musk shares the reason for Starship Flight 13 abort today

All systems were a go until the last second. It looked good to go. But moments after the launch pad’s water deluge system (flame diverter) released water, the 33 Raptor engines ignited for less than a second, and all engines were shut off (video below).

This was a strange and unexpected behavior from the Super Heavy Raptor engines in a live flight. Starship’s 13th Flight test (IFT-13) was called an abort/scrub today.

The live streams and live commentary coverage of the Flight 13 launch were short today. The unlooked-for scenario killed the excitement. SpaceX also shut off the live stream early.

SpaceX suddenly announced a stand-off from today’s flight. Minutes later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained the reason on X, saying:

Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort.

Now offloading propellant.

Next launch attempt hopefully in a few days.

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Flight 13 Starship standing at Starbase, Texas, after the abort on its first attempt on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Flight 13 Starship standing at Starbase, Texas, after the abort on its first attempt on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Credit: SpaceX / X.
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