SpaceX's Starhopper engine failure causes mission abort at last second

A malfunctioning engine has caused SpaceX's Starhopper test flight to be delayed.

@JakConnorTT

Published Aug 27, 2019 9:03 AM CDT
Updated Nov 3, 2020 11:47 AM CST

42 seconds read time

SpaceX's Starhopper vehicle was scheduled to conduct its test run today when it had to be canceled due to one of the engines on the hopper malfunctioning.

Starhopper is the single engine version of the SpaceX Starship and is the craft Musk and his team designed to eventually take people around the Moon and Mars. According to the team, the hopper's 150 meter test flight and landing was aborted due to one of the gines on the hopper not igniting. Elon Musk Tweeted and said "Igniters need to be inspected. We will try again tomorrow same time."

Musk then followed up with another tweet explaining the malfunction in more detail, saying "Raptor uses dual redundant torch igniters. Better long-term, but more finicky in development. Appears to be a wiring/connector issue " Another flight schedule hasn't been booked as of yet as the SpaceX team is currently evaluating what is needed to be done before a test flight can commence.

NEWS SOURCES:engadget.com, spaceflightnow.com

Jak Connor

Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms. Instead of typical FPS, Jak holds a very special spot in his heart for RTS games.