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 and subject to an FAA mishap investigation after its latest test flight achieved orbit but ultimately broke apart, failing to deliver reentry data.
This marks the third incident this year where Starship did not complete its mission as planned, with suspected leaks and loss of attitude control causing the recent failure.
The grounding and required investigations threaten Elon Musk's aggressive timelines for Mars missions (targeting late 2026) and NASA's moon landing (mid-2027), both dependent on high-cadence Starship test flights.
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.
