SPACEX’s eighth test launch of its Starship mega-rocket from Texas on Thursday evening ended in a disintegration of the Starship vehicle which caused ground stops in airports across Florida as they tried to literally avoid fallout. FOX News Correspondent Jonathan Serrie has the details.
BOCA CHICA, Texas – The Federal Aviation Administration has given clearance for SpaceX to conduct its ninth Starship flight, following an explosion that caused debris to rain down across the southwest Atlantic in March.
In a statement released by the agency, the FAA said it has determined that the Elon Musk-run space company had satisfactorily addressed the causes of the recent mishap.
SpaceX previously attributed the disassembly of the spacecraft to the loss of several Raptor engines, which caused the megarocket to lose altitude less than 10 minutes into launch.
The FAA did not specify what changes SpaceX made but expressed confidence that the spacecraft no longer poses a danger to public safety.
“The FAA’s determination of when a vehicle involved in a mishap can resume operations is based on public safety,” the agency said in a statement. “When making this determination, the FAA considers several factors, including but not limited to, the nature of the mishap, the performance of vehicle safety-critical systems, and the generation of unplanned debris. Prior to making a return-to-flight determination, the FAA must find that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety or any other aspect of the operator’s license.”
SPACEX STARSHIP EXPLOSION CAUSES SCRAMBLED FLIGHTS AS DEBRIS RAINS DOWN OVER ATLANTIC
SpaceX debris over the Bahamas on March 6, 2025.
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The earliest the next test flight could occur is after Memorial Day, with the company focusing on reusing a booster.
As the grip of a subtropical ridge weakens and moves eastward, much of Texas, including over the SpaceX launch facility outside of Brownsville, will see an increase in moisture and higher chances of rainfall to end the month.
Due to numerous launch windows, if Mother Nature does impact a launch date, the space company will have plenty of opportunities for Starship Flight 9 test flight.
Launch hazard area nearly doubled
Since 2023, SpaceX has conducted eight Starships tests with half ending in significant failures. Two recent test launches have ended in explosions with debris raining down over the Atlantic and Caribbean. Due to the potential danger of airborne debris, hundreds of commercial aircraft were either delayed or diverted to avoid the risk of collision.
The FAA noted that there will be changes with future launch attempts to minimize disruptions to air travel and reduce dangers from debris.
The agency is expanding the size of the hazard area from around 885 nautical miles to approximately 1,600 nautical miles, stretching from the launch site in South Texas through the Florida Straits and over the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands.
Additionally, the FAA says any launch window will be scheduled to avoid peak air travel times.
SpaceX conducted the eighth test flight of its prized Starship rocket from its South Texas launch facility on Thursday and similar to its January mission, crews lost control with the spacecraft minutes after launch.
The agency stated it is in close contact with its counterparts in the United Kingdom, Turks & Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Mexico and Cuba, and emphasized that SpaceX will be responsible for any unintended impacts.
FUTURE OF NASA’S MEGA MOON ROCKET APPEARS IN DOUBT FOLLOWING MAJOR BOEING ANNOUNCEMENT
The Starship spacecraft is being developed with the long-term goal of carrying astronauts to the Moon and potentially Mars, though SpaceX has not publicly disclosed a timeline for when the rocket will be approved for human space travel.
The ongoing challenges have led to uncertainties surrounding the objectives of NASA’s Artemis program and whether the timeline will remain in place for humans to return to the Moon and for construction of the Lunar Gateway space station.