SpaceX Again Delays Starship Flight 10 After Ground-Systems Issue

Starbase, Texas - August 25, 2025

SpaceX stood down from its tenth Starship flight test on Monday, citing the need to resolve a ground-side liquid oxygen leak before proceeding with the launch.

The fully integrated Starship system-composed of the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage-remained secured on the launch mount at SpaceX’s Starbase facility after engineers detected the leak during propellant loading operations. The liftoff window, which opens daily at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, was called off approximately 30 minutes before launch so that technicians could troubleshoot safety-critical hardware.

“Eliminating the ground-side LOX leak is our top priority. We’re aiming for another launch attempt tomorrow,” Musk wrote on X, confirming that the next opportunity remains Tuesday evening, contingent on weather and system readiness.

The tenth test is crucial for demonstrating Starship’s ability to reach orbital velocities and validating its reusability. SpaceX’s previous three integrated flights in 2025 all ended in failures during ascent or reentry, and a static-fire test in June resulted in a pad explosion. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX has continued to iterate rapidly, producing new vehicles and refining ground-support infrastructure in pursuit of missions to the Moon and Mars.

NASA has contracted Starship as its crewed lunar lander for the Artemis III mission, currently slated for 2027. Each test flight-including this delayed tenth mission-provides key data on launch operations, thermal protection, engine reliability, and stage-separation procedures.

A successful Flight 10 would mark the first time Starship’s upper stage reaches its planned suborbital trajectory and deploys dummy payloads, before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster is expected to target a controlled water landing in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX remains confident that resolving the liquid-oxygen leak will enable a swift retry and bring the program closer to its next major milestones.