SpaceX cleared to fly Starship again following May booster failure

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted SpaceX approval to resume flights of its Starship prototypes. This clearance comes after the company identified the probable cause of the booster stage failure during a test flight in May.

SpaceX announced over the weekend that the next Starship flight could occur as soon as Thursday, July 17. This would mark the second launch of the third version (V3) of Starship. The company also stated that this flight will carry the first third-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. Previously, Starship flights had only carried dummy versions of the larger, more powerful internet satellites.

The first test launch of Starship V3 on May 22 was largely successful. SpaceX's Super Heavy booster lifted the 407-foot rocket into space, after which the upper stage separated and deployed 20 satellite simulators and two modified Starlinks that captured footage of the Starship's exterior. The new third-generation booster was intended to return to Earth and perform a simulated splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

However, the booster's engines failed to re-ignite properly, causing it to crash into the water. Both SpaceX and the FAA identified the issue occurring at the moment of booster separation. SpaceX stated in a post that "slight differences in engine startup on the ship" caused the booster to pitch 90 degrees in the wrong direction. The company indicated it has modified the engine startup sequence to improve the booster's likelihood of pitching in the desired direction and has enhanced re-ignition reliability.

The FAA stated on Monday that the most probable root causes of the Super Heavy booster failure were "thermal effects on propulsion system components during ascent and an incorrect startup sequence" in the engines. The agency required SpaceX to implement corrective actions before approving further flights.