Elon Musk suffers major blow ahead of fourth Starship test flight

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing for the fourth test flight of its Starship rocket which is aimed to take humans on the Moon, Mars, and beyond, however, the aerospace company suffered a major setback.

The Texas-based company announced Saturday that the fourth test flight is scheduled for June 6, however, the approval is pending, according to the mission statement on the website.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who booked his private trip with Elon Musk’s Starship in 2018, called off a space visit on the world’s most powerful rocket citing the unpreparedness of the space vehicle.

In a statement on X, Maezawa said: "I signed the contract in 2018 based on the assumption that dear Moon would launch by the end of 2023. It's a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch."

Musk’s SpaceX has so far lifted off the 33-raptor-engine rocket three times, with the last one meeting partial success.

Now the latest lift-off is just days away as SpaceX is under contract with Nasa to take astronauts to the moon under the Artemis III programme. According to CNBC, Nasa paid $1.8 billion to the 2000-founded company.

The online fashion retail Zozotown founded also added: "I can't plan my future in this situation, and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time. I apologise to those who were excited for this project to happen."

Where to watch Starship fourth test flight?

According to SpaceX, the fourth lift-off will be aired live before 30 minutes of blastoff X @SpaceX.