spacetoday.net: FAA gives final approval for next Starship flight

FAA gives final approval for next Starship flight

Posted: Sat, May 24, 2025, 7:42 AM ET (1142 GMT)
Starship IFT-7 launch (SpaceX)

The FAA has given final approval for the next launch of SpaceX's Starship. The agency said Thursday that it completed a "comprehensive safety review" after the mishap on the previous flight in March and concluded SpaceX addressed the causes of that failure. The FAA did not disclose those specific causes or the steps SpaceX took to address them. SpaceX is preparing for the Starship launch, called Flight 9, as soon as May 27 from its Starbase facility in South Texas. The upcoming launch will have larger airspace closures because of the experience of the failures on the two previous flights as well as the use of a previously flown Super Heavy booster for the first time on Flight 9.