Online Desk : Bad weather on Monday forced SpaceX to delay the latest test flight of its massive Starship rocket, a crucial component of Elon Musk’s vision for Mars colonization and NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon.

Originally scheduled to lift off from the company`s Starbase facility in southern Texas during a launch window starting at 6:30 pm local time (2330 GMT), the launch was postponed for the second time in two days. A ground-system leak had already disrupted Sunday’s attempt.

This will be the tenth test flight for the world’s most powerful rocket, which stands 403 feet (123 meters) tall. It may now be rescheduled as early as Tuesday. The mission is intended to evaluate the upper stage—called “Starship” or simply “ship”—under intense structural stress as it flies halfway around the globe before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX also plans to test new heat shield materials and simulate a cargo deployment using mock Starlink satellites. Unlike previous tests, the Super Heavy booster will not be caught by the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms but will instead attempt a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX has built its reputation on a “fail fast, learn fast” approach, which has helped it dominate the launch industry with its Falcon rocket series. Its Dragon spacecraft remains the only U.S. vehicle currently ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station, and its Starlink satellite network has become a critical global communications asset.

Still, Starship’s progress has raised concerns. The upper stage has exploded in all three of its test flights in 2025—two over the Caribbean and one after reaching space. In June, another Starship upper stage exploded during a static fire test on the ground.

On Monday’s webcast, Elon Musk reaffirmed his long-term goal of making humanity a multiplanetary species. Wearing a “Nuke Mars” t-shirt, he emphasized that venturing into space wasn’t just about survival, but about creating a more inspiring future.

However, serious engineering hurdles remain, including developing a fully reusable orbital heat shield and achieving in-orbit refueling with cryogenic propellant—both essential for deep-space missions.

Delays to Starship’s development could impact NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to return U.S. astronauts to the Moon by mid-2027 using a customized version of Starship as the lunar lander.