The FAA will require SpaceX to determine the cause of a mishap that occurred on Starship’s ninth test flight on Tuesday. [Courtesy: SpaceX]
Key Takeaways:
SpaceX’s Starship is grounded by the FAA for a mishap investigation following its latest test flight, which reached orbit but failed during reentry due to a "new failure mode" like main tank pressure loss.
This grounding disrupts SpaceX's aggressive planned test flight cadence, impacting progress towards full reusability goals, particularly the recovery of the Starship vehicle itself.
The setbacks pose challenges to Elon Musk's ambitious timeline for a 2026 Mars landing and could affect SpaceX's commitments for NASA's 2027 Artemis moon mission, both reliant on Starship's rapid development.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket is grounded until the company determines what went wrong during the vehicle’s latest test flight on Tuesday.
The FAA will require SpaceX to complete a mishap investigation into the largest rocket to ever fly, which for the third time this year “did not complete its launch or reentry as planned,” the agency said Friday.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
