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Starship Booster Crash: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has ordered SpaceX to investigate the failure of its Starship Super Heavy booster following a crash into the Gulf of Mexico during a recent test flight.
The agency confirmed the directive on Wednesday. The incident occurred during SpaceX’s Starship Flight 12 mission on May 22.
According to the FAA, the Super Heavy booster experienced a mishap after separating from the Starship spacecraft during the launch sequence.
The booster was attempting its planned return trajectory toward the Gulf of Mexico when the failure took place.
Federal regulators are now overseeing the investigation into the cause of the incident.
SpaceX has not yet released detailed findings regarding the booster failure.
The FAA said the investigation will focus on identifying the factors that led to the crash and determining any corrective actions required before future flights.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the incident involving its Starship Super Heavy booster.
The Federal Aviation Administration said there were no reported injuries or damage to public property connected to the event.
The agency stated that it will oversee the investigation being conducted by SpaceX.
Regulators will remain involved throughout the review process and evaluate the company’s final report.
The FAA also said it will review and approve any corrective actions deemed necessary before future launch operations move forward.
Flight 12 represented SpaceX’s 12th Starship prototype test mission since 2023. The launch also marked the debut of the company’s upgraded V3 configuration.
Several major objectives of the mission were completed successfully. SpaceX carried out the deployment of simulated satellites during the flight.
The Starship spacecraft also achieved a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean as planned.
However, the mission encountered problems during the booster recovery phase.
SpaceX was unable to complete a controlled landing of the Super Heavy booster after separation from the spacecraft.
The booster later lost stability during its descent and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the investigation into the Starship Super Heavy booster failure is aimed at strengthening public safety measures and determining the root cause of the incident.
According to the agency, the review will also focus on identifying the corrective actions needed to prevent similar failures during future launch missions.
The FAA stated that the Starship-Super Heavy launch system will not be cleared for another flight until regulators confirm that the issues linked to the mishap no longer present a risk to public safety.
Federal officials said the verification process is required before SpaceX can resume additional test launches involving the vehicle.
Starship continues to play a key role in SpaceX’s long-term growth strategy.
The company aims to use the launch system to lower space transportation costs and expand its Starlink satellite internet business.
SpaceX also plans to use Starship for future initiatives involving orbital computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence-focused satellite deployments.
The vehicle is additionally expected to support future crewed missions to the moon and Mars.
The company has invested more than $15 billion into the development of the Starship program.
SpaceX intends for the rocket system to become fully reusable in an effort to improve launch efficiency and reduce operational expenses.
Starship is designed to carry payloads far larger than those supported by many existing rocket platforms currently in operation.
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