The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8, following an investigation into a January mishap. The agency cleared the vehicle to return to flight operations after SpaceX completed a required safety review and implemented changes to increase reliability.
SpaceX plans to launch as soon as Monday from Boca Chica, Texas, with the combined Starship/Super Heavy vehicle. The mission will include a catch attempt by the launch tower at the Super Heavy booster rocket’s launch site and a water landing of the Starship vehicle in the Indian Ocean west of Australia.
The FAA stated that SpaceX met all necessary safety, environmental, and licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight. The upcoming flight will follow the same trajectory as previous missions and target objectives not reached on the previous test.
SpaceX has made several hardware and operational changes to improve the upper stage’s reliability. These upgrades include upgraded forward flaps to reduce exposure to reentry heating and simplify mechanisms.
The incident that led to the FAA clearance was a Starship 7 rocket that broke apart minutes after launching, sending debris into the northern Caribbean. The mishap forced airlines to divert dozens of flights. In September, the FAA proposed a $633,000 fine against SpaceX for failing to follow license requirements in 2023 before two launches.
SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk is involved in efforts to reform the U.S. government and previously called for the resignation of current FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, who stepped down upon Trump’s inauguration.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/faa-oks-spacex-starship-flight-8-launch-after-mishap-2025-02-28