Why didn’t Starship launch? Is 4/20 on the table?

Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, Starship did not launch today, Monday, April 17. This date marks the closest SpaceX has ever been to launching the world’s most powerful rocket ever. What’s next?

During a Twitter Space yesterday, Elon Musk spoke to subscribers and said that today would “probably be a scrub”. However, many remained optimistic, and at the very least, SpaceX got into the countdown and fueling.

Propellant loading started slightly later than anticipated, pushing the initial T-0 back by 20 minutes. However, the excitement ended with about 11 minutes to go in the count when a pressurization issue arose with a frozen valve in the booster.

This issue was not able to be resolved, and the launch was called off. SpaceX decided to make use of the fully fueled rocket by continuing the count to T-40 seconds, acting as a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR).

So when will Starship launch?

Because the rocket was fully fueled, it will take time for the tank farm to replenish its propellant supply. Therefore, it might be a few days before Starship is ready to launch again. This puts a 4/20 launch on the table.

In terms of licensing, the FAA Launch License is valid for another five years, so there is no concern that the license will need to be renewed before the next launch attempt.

This WDR allowed SpaceX to see if any other issues arose in the count, up to engine ignition.

Stay tuned on this article for updates from SpaceX as they release them ahead of a new launch date, which will be at least Wednesday.