FAA gives SpaceX a green light to launch Starship again after last flight’s destruction
SpaceX’s last two efforts to make progress on its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket ended with streaks of debris hurtling across the sky. The Federal Aviation Administration, though, is now satisfied it’s safe for SpaceX to try again.
The FAA on Thursday announced the in-development rocket that launches from Starbase, SpaceX’s Texas site, can return to flight. The decision comes after the agency closed its investigation into a March 7 test flight resulting in the destruction of the rocket’s upper stage that could be seen across the East Coast and into the Caribbean.
SpaceX Starship Breaks Apart During Test Flight, Scattering Debris Over the Bahamas – March 6, 2025. pic.twitter.com/R20tsaHLoa
— UFO Community (@UFOcommunity) March 7, 2025
It was a near mirror of a January attempt, with both explosions seen in videos captured from Florida, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos.
“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 in a press release. “The FAA will verify SpaceX implements all corrective actions.”