Online Desk : SpaceX called off a planned test flight of its massive Starship rocket on Sunday, just minutes before launch, citing a problem with ground systems.

The cancellation marks the latest delay for the vehicle, which plays a central role in Elon Musk’s ambitions to send humans to the Moon and Mars.

The tenth Starship flight was scheduled to lift off at 6:30 p.m. local time (2330 GMT) from the company’s Starbase site in southern Texas. Fueling was already underway, and Musk had posted on X an hour before the launch confirming plans to proceed. However, roughly 15 minutes prior to liftoff, SpaceX announced it was “standing down” to troubleshoot an unspecified ground system issue.

While nearby road closures suggest a potential launch could still happen Monday or Tuesday, the company has not confirmed a new date.

The uncrewed mission was expected to last around an hour, with the upper stage conducting a range of flight tests as it traveled halfway around the globe, while the lower booster would splash down in the Indian Ocean.

Starship, standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It is key to both Musk’s Mars colonization goals and NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon using a modified version of the vehicle.

However, the rocket`s upper stage has experienced multiple failures in 2025 alone, including three explosive test flights and a recent ground explosion during a static fire test in June. Some of these mishaps have scattered debris over nearby regions, including parts of the Caribbean.

Despite these setbacks, SpaceX has successfully used its massive “chopstick” arms to catch the lower-stage booster on three occasions. The tenth flight, however, was not scheduled to attempt such a recovery.

The company’s “fail fast, learn fast” development approach has driven the success of its Falcon rocket family, which dominates the global launch industry. But continued issues with Starship have raised questions about whether that model can work with such an ambitious and complex system.

Analysts say the pressure is mounting. Dallas Kasaboski, a space expert at Analysys Mason, said SpaceX’s reputation is being tested. “We’ve had so many tests and it hasn’t proven itself reliable,” he noted.

Engineer-turned-commentator Will Lockett has gone further, suggesting in his newsletter that Starship may be “fundamentally flawed,” given its repeated failures to reach orbit with a payload.

Musk has committed to replacing SpaceX’s existing fleet with Starship in the long term. But even if the next flight succeeds, the company faces significant technical challenges ahead—including achieving rapid reusability, in-orbit refueling, and cost efficiency needed for deep-space missions.

Meanwhile, environmental groups have criticized the growing launch cadence at Starbase, pointing to ecological impacts in the area.

The Federal Aviation Administration said last week it had closed its investigation into the last Starship explosion, noting that no injuries were reported.

Musk, known for his bold timelines, still maintains that Starship will send its first uncrewed mission to Mars as early as next year.