The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given final approval to SpaceX for the next Starship launch, slated for no earlier than next week. This follows a May 22 announcement confirming the return to flight for Starship after a thorough safety review. The FAA updated the launch license on May 15, incorporating changes like an increased launch rate from Starbase in South Texas. Approval for the next launch was contingent on concluding the mishap investigation into the March launch or making a “return to flight” determination. The FAA opted for the latter.
“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 FAA stated. Specific causes and corrective actions remain undisclosed. Flight 8, on March 6, saw the Starship upper stage experience an “energetic event,” leading to engine loss and vehicle control failure. The vehicle reentered over the Caribbean, echoing the issues of Flight 7 in January.
The approval for Flight 9 mirrors the approach taken for Flight 8, concluding the launch poses no significant safety risk. “With the Starship vehicle return to flight determination, Starship Flight 9 is authorized for launch,” the FAA stated. “The FAA finds SpaceX meets all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements.” A key alteration for Flight 9 is the expanded aircraft hazard areas (AHAs) — airspace closures minimizing debris impact risk. The environmental review dictated this expansion due to increased failure probability based on previous launches. The AHA for Flight 9 stretches about 1,600 nautical miles (2,960 kilometers) east from Starbase, exceeding the 885 nautical miles (1,640 kilometers) of Flight 8’s AHA. SpaceX's reuse of a previously flown Super Heavy booster also contributed to this expansion. “The FAA is expanding the size of hazard areas both in the U.S. and other countries based on the updated flight safety analysis and because SpaceX intends to reuse a previously launched Super Heavy booster rocket for the first time,” the FAA explained. SpaceX hasn't announced a launch date, but FAA temporary flight restrictions suggest a potential launch date around May 27.