FAA: SpaceX requests launch amid ongoing disaster investigation

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) SpaceX has filed a request that would allow another Starship launch while earlier disaster investigations are still open.

The FAA is currently investigating the third Starship test flight, similar to the investigations that were launched after the first two tests.

In a statement sent to ValleyCentral, the FAA stated that on April 5, SpaceX asked the FAA to make a “public safety determination” as part of the Starship flight test failure.

“If the FAA agrees that no public safety issues were involved in the accident, the operator may return to flying while the accident investigation remains open, provided all other license requirements are met.”

With this modification in place, SpaceX will be able to launch the fourth Starship test flight while the investigation into the third flight disaster is still open.

When these requests are accepted, the FAA evaluates the critical safety systems, the nature of the consequences of the disaster, the adequacy of the existing flight analysis, the performance of the safety organization and environmental factors, the statement added.

The FAA said it is reviewing the request and will be “driven by data and safety at every step of the process.”

Starbase CEO Kathy Lueders said at an event last week that SpaceX hopes to launch the fourth Starship from South Texas after Memorial Day weekend.

On March 14, SpaceX launched the third test of the most powerful rocket on Earth from Boca Chica Beach. The rocket passed phase separation and into Earth orbit, before finally being lost during re-entry.

As our team reviews the data collected from this flight, the Starship and Super Heavy vehicles are being prepared for future flights as we look to increase our launch cadence throughout the year, SpaceX said.