FAA Investigation Concludes as SpaceX Prepares for Starship’s Ambitious Ninth Flight
- Ryan Bale
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially closed its investigation into SpaceX’s eighth Starship test flight, clearing the path for the vehicle’s next major step. With regulatory approval in hand, SpaceX is targeting May 27 for the ninth integrated flight test of its fully reusable Starship system—a mission packed with firsts, experiments, and critical data collection aimed at maturing the launch architecture.
Flight 8 Recap and Investigation Findings
On March 6, 2025, Starship’s eighth test flight lifted off successfully from Starbase, Texas, at 5:30 p.m. CT. The mission marked significant strides in both booster and ship performance but ended prematurely after a mid-flight anomaly.
The Super Heavy booster executed a flawless lift-off with all 33 Raptor engines performing nominally, followed by a clean hot-staging separation. The booster then completed a boostback burn and initiated a landing burn, ultimately resulting in its third successful catch by the launch tower—an impressive feat demonstrating the growing reliability of the world’s most powerful rocket.
However, the Starship upper stage suffered a critical engine failure approximately 5.5 minutes into flight. A flash was observed near one of the center sea-level Raptors, followed by an energetic event. The resulting failure caused a cascade of engine shutdowns and eventual loss of vehicle control. Telemetry was lost 9.5 minutes into the flight—two minutes after the anomaly—after which the vehicle was seen breaking apart during reentry.
According to SpaceX and FAA findings, the root cause was a hardware failure in a center Raptor engine, leading to inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition. Post-flight testing confirmed the issue, and mitigation steps have already been taken. These include:
Added insulation to torch igniters to counter thermal stress
Increased preload on key engine joints
Introduction of a new nitrogen purge system
Upgrades to the propellant drain system
Future Starships will benefit from Raptor 3 engines, currently in development, which will incorporate these and other design refinements to improve reliability.
Importantly, the mishap triggered no environmental hazards, with all debris contained within the pre-planned Debris Response Area. Coordination with the FAA, NASA, USAF, NTSB, and Bahamian authorities ensured a thorough investigation and safe recovery operations.
Flight 9: A Milestone in Reusability and In-Space Testing
Flight 9 is poised to demonstrate major reusability advances and push the envelope with several experimental maneuvers—both during ascent and descent.
Key Objectives:
First reuse of a Super Heavy booster, previously flown on Flight 7
First-ever payload deployment (8 Starlink simulators)
In-space engine relight
Thermal tile stress tests
Catch fitting performance tests
Super Heavy experimental boostback and landing maneuvers
Unlike previous flights, the booster will not return for catch at Starbase. Instead, it will test new flight dynamics over the Gulf of Mexico, including:
Controlled directional flip via adjusted hot-stage adapter vents
High angle-of-attack descent to optimize atmospheric drag
Two-engine landing burn with a planned hard splashdown
These experiments will gather real-world data on engine-out scenarios, aerodynamic stability, and propellant budgeting, all vital for future orbital missions.
Reentry Enhancements:
Starship’s reentry will test new tile configurations including:
Metallic tiles, some with active cooling
Tapered edges across tile lines to mitigate heat hotspots
Real catch fittings for structural analysis
The upper stage’s rear flaps will face maximum stress at entry, providing critical insight into survivability under worst-case heating and pressure conditions.
Path Forward
With the FAA investigation behind them, SpaceX continues its aggressive cadence of flight testing. Flight 9 is not just another milestone—it is a leap toward operational reusability and payload capability. Every flight builds data, validates upgrades, and burns down risk, as the company pushes Starship toward orbital refueling, interplanetary cargo missions, and eventually crewed flights.