FAA Greenlights New SpaceX Starship Trajectories Over U.S. Mainland

Agency’s analysis estimates that proposed trajectories could impact thousands of American flights per year.

Jack Daleo

Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

With FAA approval, SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket could fly over populated areas in Florida, California, Texas, and other U.S. states. [Credit: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX has moved closer to obtaining a license modification for Starship's orbital flights over the U.S., receiving an FAA "finding of no significant impact" for proposed new launch trajectories.
These new trajectories will establish aircraft hazard areas, potentially impacting thousands of commercial aircraft operations annually across several states and requiring international coordination for Starship to achieve orbit and full reusability.
Despite the FAA's finding, aviation safety groups express serious concerns about potential debris risks, inadequate tracking, and the FAA's ability to ensure airspace safety amidst a rapidly increasing number of commercial space launches, primarily driven by SpaceX.

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SpaceX this week moved one step closer to securing a launch license modification that would allow it to fly its gargantuan Starship rocket over portions of the mainland U.S., including Florida, Texas, and California.

The company will still need to obtain that modification from the FAA. But the regulator on Friday issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for SpaceX’s proposal to add new Starship launch trajectories to its Starbase pad in Texas.