Introduction

SpaceX fans around the world were eagerly awaiting the historic launch of Starship, the company’s ambitious rocket system that could one day take humans to the moon and Mars.

Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built, with a massive first-stage booster that has 33 engines and a sleek stainless-steel spacecraft on top. The launch was supposed to be the first orbital test flight of Starship, which would have soared over the Gulf of Mexico and attempted a soft landing in the Pacific Ocean.

A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023

But just minutes before liftoff, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that a pressurant valve appeared to be frozen, making the launch impossible. SpaceX said it could try again in 48 hours, after performing a “wet dress rehearsal” to load and unload the rocket with fuel.

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