Musk's SpaceX postpones Starship launch as mega share sale looms

It comes just a day after the firm revealed plans for a record-breaking stock market debut. Elon Musk's SpaceX postpones Starship launch as mega share sale looms Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Stormy weather, rolling in from the Gulf at sunrise, surrounds the SpaceX Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy Booster as preparations continue for the 12th test flight of the Starship spacecraft in Starbase, Texas, U.S., May 21, 2026. Musk's SpaceX postpones Starship launch as mega share sale looms Elon Musk's SpaceX has postponed a launch of its massive Starship rocket and said it plans to make another attempt at the highly-anticipated test flight on Friday. It comes just a day after the firm revealed plans for a record-breaking stock market debut, where the successful launch of the powerful new rocket could help entice investors into buying shares. It comes just a day after the firm revealed plans for a record-breaking stock market debut , where the successful launch of the powerful new rocket could help entice investors into buying shares. The initial public offering (IPO) on the tech-heavy Nasdaq stock market is set to be the largest in Wall Street history and could start next month under the ticker symbol SPCX. Because of the shares he will own in SpaceX, the listing could make Musk, who is already the world's richest person, the first-ever trillionaire. Elon Musk is shown in the Oval Office, looking away from the camera to the right against a blurred backdrop showing paintings of former US presidents on the wall behind him. Who is Elon Musk and what is his net worth? Musk said on social media that the delay was caused by a malfunctioning hydraulic pin on part of the launch tower. "If that can be fixed tonight, there will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT [22:30 GMT]," he added. SpaceX makes rockets, offers a satellite internet service called Starlink, and also owns the controversial artificial intelligence (AI) firm xAI. The uncrewed launch will mark the debut of the Starship V3 rocket after ​months of testing delays. SpaceX described it as "the most powerful launch system ever developed" in its IPO filing. "We expect that Starship V3 will be able to carry a payload of 100 metric tons, with future generations of Starship being designed to double this payload," it added. It features dozens of upgrades designed for rapid launches of the firm's Starlink satellites and Nasa missions to the moon. SpaceX has spent more than $15bn (£11.2bn) on the Starship programme, according to the filing. SpaceX values itself at $1.25tn, and Musk's majority ownership of the company means his share could be worth more than $600bn. Last year, Musk, who is also the chief executive of electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla, became the first person to achieve a net worth of more than $500bn. Last year, Space Exploration Technologies - as it is officially known - brought in $18.6bn in revenue but had a net loss $4.9bn. In the first three months of this year, it achieved $4.7bn in sales but made a net loss of $4.3bn. A Texas-based company wants to expand its deep space communitcations network. Seeing Artemis has made space careers a reality for children, says a woman who promotes STEM jobs. The four crew members gave their first press conference since they splashed down nearly a week ago, and emphasised hope and unity. Frustration with fake dating profiles has spurred new dating services with different approaches. Prediction markets are a fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar industry, and appeal disproportionately to young men The social media giant will pay A$650,000 plus legal costs, ending a three-year legal saga. The walkout, which was due to start on Thursday, has been suspended while union members vote on a tentative deal. Musk's rocket-maker and satellite internet provider will trade under the ticker SPCX