SpaceX falls further in premarket after Starship test flight aborted
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- SpaceX stock dropped 3.5% in premarket trading on Friday after falling more than 3% in after-hours the prior session, extending its volatile post-IPO trading.
- SpaceX scrubbed a Starship mega rocket launch at 5:45 p.m. Thursday in Texas when an engine ignition failure triggered an automatic abort within the planned 90-minute launch window.
- Elon Musk posted on X that 'some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort,' and said 2 Raptor engines would be removed and replaced ahead of a launch attempt early next week.
- The Thursday test was SpaceX's first Starship V3 flight since its June IPO, which raised a record $85.7 billion at $135 per share — the largest IPO ever — making rocket tests a focal point for investors.
- A prior Starship attempt in May failed when the upper stage headed toward the Indian Ocean and the Super Heavy booster missed a controlled Gulf of Mexico landing after 5 of its 33 Raptor engines failed to reignite.
- The FAA ordered an investigation into the May mishap but cleared SpaceX on Monday to resume test trials.
Why it matters: This was SpaceX's first Starship V3 test since its record $85.7 billion June IPO, and each launch attempt now carries heightened scrutiny from public-market investors who priced shares at $135 — a second scrub could deepen the post-IPO volatility that already shaved more than 3% off the stock in after-hours and premarket trading.
