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.
Earlier this month, the regulator issued two environmental assessments for Flight 9—one updating airspace closures, and another greenlighting 25 Starship launches per year from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. Neither assessment turned up safety or environmental concerns, the FAA said.
“The FAA conducted a comprehensive safety review of the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 mishap and determined that the company has satisfactorily addressed the causes of the mishap, and therefore, the Starship vehicle can return to flight,” the agency said. “When making this determination, the FAA considers several factors, including but not limited to, the nature of the mishap, the performance of vehicles safety-critical systems, and the generation of unplanned debris.”
Starship failed to reach orbit on its previous two attempts, instead exploding and prompting the FAA to alert nearby aircraft of falling debris. Each incident disrupted air travel, but there were no reported injuries and minimal property damage on the ground. The FAA told FLYING that 171 departures were delayed by an average of 28 minutes while a debris response area was active during Flight 8. Twenty-eight flights were diverted, and another 40 were placed in holding patterns.
SpaceX submitted its Flight 8 mishap report on May 13, and the investigation remains open, an FAA spokesperson told FLYING. Notably, the agency signed off on that mission before SpaceX closed its investigation into Flight 7.
After back-to-back mishaps, SpaceX was required to update its flight safety analysis, which covers population exposure risk, the probability of another explosion, and the behavior and sprawl of debris. Based on that analysis—and its planned reuse of a previously launched Super Heavy booster—the FAA expanded its aircraft hazard area from about 885 nm to 1,600 nm. The AHA extends from Florida through Texas and also covers the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos islands.
“The FAA is in close contact and collaboration with the United Kingdom, Turks [and] Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba as the agency continues to monitor SpaceX’s compliance with all public safety and other regulatory requirements,” it said.
SpaceX has yet to share Flight 9 details on its website or social media, as it typically does before a Starship launch. But chances are the company will again attempt to snare the reusable Super Heavy booster from the sky using a pair of giant metal chopsticks at Starbase. It achieved the maneuver for the first time in history on Flight 5 in October and has tried to replicate it on every flight since, succeeding on each of the past two attempts.
Reusability is a key selling point for Starship and Super Heavy, as it can significantly lower launch costs. Catching Starship itself is another near-term goal for SpaceX, and it could use the upcoming flight to gear up for that challenge. Flight 6, for example, included a variety of tests designed to collect data on the rocket as it headed for splashdown.
Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.
