FAA Approves SpaceX Starship Return to Flight With New Safety Considerations

Agency nearly doubles the aircraft hazard area after the massive rocket exploded on back-to-back test flights in January and March.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 03:05 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

The FAA has authorized SpaceX’s ninth test flight of its Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Starship rocket has received FAA approval for its ninth test flight (Flight 9), despite its two prior attempts ending in explosions.
The FAA authorized the "return-to-flight" after determining SpaceX satisfactorily addressed the causes of the Flight 8 mishap.
New safety measures include nearly doubling the aircraft hazard area (AHA) for Flight 9 to 1,600 nautical miles, based on SpaceX's updated flight safety analysis.
SpaceX aims to continue demonstrating reusability for the Super Heavy booster and eventually Starship itself, a key goal for lowering launch costs.

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After exploding on back-to-back test flights in January and March, SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has been greenlit for a ninth launch—with new safety considerations.

The FAA on Thursday announced it awarded Starship a return-to-flight determination authorizing Flight 9, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk predicted would lift off this week. The agency will nearly double the previous flight’s aircraft hazard area (AHA) based on SpaceX’s analysis of that mission, it said in a statement.