SpaceX chief reveals the reason behind initial Starship Flight 12 scrub

SpaceX chief, Elon Musk, has revealed that the team called for a scrub during Starship Flight 12 launch attempt due to a problem with the tower arm, also known as chopsticks.

The company is using the new launch pad with this flight, and it’s making a debut with a brand new mechazilla or the launch/catch tower with robotic arms.

These arms are used to hold and put the first and second stages on the launch pad during and after testing, as well as the launch, to keep the integrated launch vehicle steady until liftoff. The arm retracts as soon as the vehicle starts to clear the launch pad with its 33 Raptor engines.

Musk wrote on X that the hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place did not retract, which the team found during the T-40 countdown. The company resumed the countdown a few times but finally called the day off.

He said that SpaceX will make another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT.