Cloudy Weather Delays SpaceX’s 10th Starship Launch Amid Testing Setbacks
Elon Musk’s SpaceX postponed the 10th launch of its Starship rocket on Monday (August 25, 2025), citing persistent cloudy weather over its Starbase facility in Texas. The delay marks another hurdle in the company’s effort to advance the development of the Mars rocket system and achieve milestones critical to its reusable design.
The 71-meter Super Heavy booster and 52-meter Starship upper stage — together taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty — were fully fueled and poised for liftoff when SpaceX opted around 8:00 p.m. EST (0000 GMT) to call off the attempt. Instead, the company used the countdown as a launch rehearsal, with weather conditions expected to remain unfavorable throughout the evening. A new launch attempt is scheduled for Tuesday (August 26) at 7:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT).
The scrub followed a liquid oxygen leak on Sunday (August 24) that had forced SpaceX to delay an earlier attempt. Musk confirmed the issue on X, noting that the team aimed to try again the following day. Appearing briefly on SpaceX’s live stream Monday, Musk discussed Starship’s design and its role in future human missions to Mars.
Development of the next-generation rocket has faced repeated obstacles in 2025. Two failures occurred early in flight, another during the ninth mission in space, and a massive test stand explosion in June scattered debris into neighboring Mexico. Still, Musk defends SpaceX’s aggressive “test-to-failure” approach, arguing that each setback provides valuable engineering data.
NASA, which hopes to use Starship for its first crewed lunar mission since Apollo as early as 2027, is closely watching the program’s progress. Starship is also crucial for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, with plans to launch larger payloads than Falcon 9 can handle. Musk has predicted that within a decade, Starship could launch more than 24 times in a single day.
Rivals have taken a more cautious path. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin debuted its New Glenn rocket in January after years of ground testing, while United Launch Alliance introduced its Vulcan rocket in 2024. SpaceX, however, continues to bet on rapid iteration in pursuit of its Mars ambitions.
