FAA Grounds SpaceX Starship After V3 Debut

Company must now complete a mishap investigation or receive an FAA return to flight determination.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 04:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

FAA grounds SpaceX’s largest rocket yet after its booster experienced anomalies during a test flight this month. [Credit: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has grounded SpaceX's Starship after its 12th test flight, requiring an investigation into multiple engine anomalies that occurred on the Super Heavy booster during its planned flip and boostback maneuver.
Despite the booster's issues, the Starship upper stage successfully achieved its planned trajectory, released dummy satellites, performed atmospheric reentry, and demonstrated improved heat shield performance with its upgraded Version 3 configuration.
This grounding disrupts SpaceX's goals for increased launch cadence, potentially impacting its timeline for an initial public offering and raising concerns for NASA's lunar landing plans that rely on Starship.
The incident underscores ongoing aviation safety concerns related to Starship's experimental flights, which have previously led to significant air traffic disruptions and increased regulatory scrutiny from the FAA.

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After completing what it said was a “thorough assessment,” the FAA on Wednesday ordered SpaceX to investigate anomalies that its Super Heavy booster experienced during the 12th test flight of its behemoth Starship rocket.

The aviation regulator on Tuesday was ambiguous about whether an investigation would be required into Starship Flight 12, which launched Friday evening from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. Now, it is grounding the largest rocket ever constructed until the company determines what prevented multiple engines from lighting during a planned Super Heavy flip and boostback maneuver.