SpaceX Faces Setback with Starship Launch Delay: Impact on Stock Performance

Key Points

• SpaceX’s Flight 13 test of its Starship megarocket was scrubbed on Thursday night.

• The company is racing against a 2028 NASA deadline to return to the moon and against competitor Blue Origin.

• Shares of the company have declined 38% from their highs as the Starship program continues to encounter setbacks.

SpaceX’s highly anticipated Flight 13 test of its Starship megarocket, which stands 407 feet tall and is powered by 33 Raptor engines, was scrubbed Thursday evening due to ignition failures of at least four engines. This setback is significant as SpaceX races against a 2028 NASA deadline for lunar missions and faces competition from Blue Origin, which is focusing on NASA contracts for lunar landers. As of Thursday, SpaceX’s stock has dropped 38% from its peak, reflecting investor concerns over ongoing delays.

Flight 13 was intended to be the second test of Starship’s Version 3 (V3), following a successful launch of Flight 12 in May. After the countdown timer reached zero, the launch was called off. SpaceX plans to retry the test on Monday evening after replacing two of the failed engines.