Twice in a row: SpaceX rocket aborts launch at last second again (video) - Space

What the report says

Space.com reported that SpaceX experienced a second consecutive last-second launch abort when a Falcon 9 mission carrying 24 Starlink internet satellites was halted at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the morning of July 20. The abort occurred as the rocket’s first-stage engines were beginning to ignite, according to the report. The mission was intended to add another group of satellites to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation.

The episode followed a separate abort on July 16 involving SpaceX’s planned 13th test flight of Starship, the company’s much larger developmental rocket system. Space.com noted that the two scrubs appeared connected mainly by timing, because Falcon 9 and Starship are different vehicles with different engines and operating roles. Falcon 9 uses nine Merlin 1D engines on its first stage, while Starship’s Super Heavy booster is powered by 33 Raptor engines.

The report emphasized that Falcon 9 remains SpaceX’s highly active operational launcher, saying it had flown 84 times in the year with no failures at the time of publication. Starship, by contrast, is still in testing as SpaceX works toward a fully reusable heavy-lift system. Space.com said SpaceX planned to replace two Raptor engines before the next Starship Flight 13 attempt, scheduled for July 23.

For the Falcon 9 Starlink mission, SpaceX placed the Vandenberg launch back on the schedule for July 21, with a nearly four-hour window opening at 10 a.m. EDT, or 7 a.m. local time in California, based on the company’s mission description cited by Space.com.