FAA Orders SpaceX to Investigate Starship V3 Booster Issue

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has required SpaceX to investigate the cause of the Starship booster failure that occurred during the test flight on May 22, as announced in a statement released to TechCrunch on Wednesday.

Consequently, SpaceX must suspend all further Starship test launches until the investigation is complete and its findings are filed with the FAA for approval. This decreases the chances of another launch taking place before the company’s anticipated IPO in mid-June.

As of now, SpaceX has not responded to a request for comments.

“After a thorough evaluation of the event, the FAA has determined that the May 22 SpaceX Starship Flight 12 launch resulted in a mishap. This incident involved the Super Heavy booster returning to the Gulf of America after stage separation. There have been no reports of injuries or damage to public property,” stated the FAA. “The FAA will oversee the investigation led by SpaceX, engage in each phase of the procedure, and approve SpaceX’s final report, along with any corrective measures.”

The issue with the Starship booster emerged a few minutes following launch, during its initial flight of SpaceX’s enhanced heavy rocket system. The first “V3” Starship successfully achieved maximum dynamic pressure and ascended into space, where the booster was set to detach from the ship and fall back to the Gulf for a simulated water landing.

Although the booster successfully detached, it soon experienced a significant engine failure—possibly a sequence of failures—while attempting the sustained burn needed to steer back towards SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas. This led to the booster tumbling towards the Gulf, ultimately resulting in an explosion upon impact.

In this third iteration of Starship, SpaceX implemented numerous modifications intended to boost the rocket’s reliability compared to the previous 11 test flights. These enhancements included changes to the booster’s design, the introduction of new third-generation Raptor engines, and various upgrades to the Starship vehicle itself.

After the booster separation, Starship itself also experienced a failure, losing one of its six Raptor engines. This setback led SpaceX to abandon one of its flight testing goals, which was to perform another sustained burn in orbit with Starship.

During this developmental phase, SpaceX expects to encounter various failures; however, the ultimate aim is to create a vehicle similar to the Falcon 9 that is not only reliable but also highly reusable. Developing reusable rockets is crucial for lowering costs associated with delivering heavy payloads to space. According to its IPO filing, SpaceX is heavily relying on the reliability and reusability of Starship to support the growth of its Starlink service, which currently serves as the company’s primary revenue source and its only profitable venture.

The FAA has directed SpaceX to carry out multiple mishap investigations throughout the Starship development lifecycle. Additionally, the federal agency has requested that SpaceX’s competitor Blue Origin conduct similar investigations as it advances its heavy-lift rocket, New Glenn.

Just last week, the FAA granted New Glenn authorization to resume flights. Blue Origin plans to attempt its fourth launch for New Glenn in the coming month.