SpaceX Starship Flight 8 Could Launch Next Week, FAA Says

Largest rocket to ever fly could soon return to the skies, though the agency says a SpaceX-led investigation following the previous test flight remains open.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 04:24 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

SpaceX’s Starship is the largest rocket to ever fly, standing 400 feet tall. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Starship rocket is tentatively scheduled for its eighth test flight next week (Feb 28 - Mar 6), according to a regional airspace advisory, despite previous flights, including the last one in January, ending in mid-air explosions.
The FAA grounded Starship after the last incident, activating a debris response area and keeping the required mishap investigation open, which must be completed before any future launches are approved.
If Flight 8 occurs, it would mark Starship's quickest return to flight after being grounded, with a key objective likely being the successful mid-air catch of its Super Heavy booster by "chopstick" arms, a feat achieved in Flight 7.

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According to a regional airspace advisory, SpaceX’s supercharged Starship rocket could lift off on its eighth test flight next week. Per the advisory, the Flight 8 launch window opens Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. EST, with backup opportunities through March 6.

Starship’s previous flight test in January returned a similar result to its first two missions: the rocket exploded in midair, and the FAA grounded it to open a mishap investigation. The “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” as SpaceX calls it, forced the aviation regulator to temporarily divert aircraft flying over the Caribbean.