Post #3874685

2026-07-17 02:53 UTC

These reason this is a very big deal is that these are the new Raptor 3 engines that were introduced in the last test Flight 12. In that instance there were also engine failures in flight. These engines were supposed to be the answer to Starship underperformance and reliability issues, and it seems like that is not, at least so far, proving out.

Replies (1)

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online 2026-07-17 03:01

The truly perplexing thing is that SpaceX has previously made a big deal about each launch. It has been very difficult to find out when the launch was planned with final notice only coming days ago and very underpromoted. Today it was only streamed for 30 minutes before the launch attempt by SpaceX and a few enthusiasts. Feels like something major has changed in their PR strategy now that the company has gone public.

Open ##3874684