FAA clears SpaceX to resume Starship launches

The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared SpaceX to resume Starship test flights after a booster failure during a May launch, according to TechCrunch. SpaceX says the next flight could happen as soon as July 16, and the mission is slated to carry the first third-generation Starlink satellites into space.

The May flight was a mixed result: SpaceX’s upper stage separated, deployed a test payload, and simulated a landing in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Super Heavy booster failed to complete its own simulated landing after its engines did not re-ignite properly on descent. The company attributed the booster’s loss to slight differences in engine startup that caused a 90-degree turn in the wrong direction at a critical moment, and says it has modified the engine startup sequence and other systems to make the flip and re-light more reliable. The FAA, in its own summary, pointed to heat effects on propulsion components during ascent and erroneous engine alarm settings among the most probable root causes, and SpaceX says it has updated alarm and abort logic accordingly.

The clearance matters because Starship is not just a rocket program; it is the transport layer for SpaceX’s cash-generating Starlink business. TechCrunch reports that Starship’s next flight is expected to deploy 20 new V3 Starlink satellites, designed to link into the constellation using high-capacity lasers, and then burn up in the atmosphere roughly 20 minutes after deployment. Six of the satellites will carry cameras to photograph the exterior of Starship—instrumentation that doubles as marketing content and engineering feedback.

In practice, the FAA’s role is less about certifying a finished product than about managing a cycle of failure analysis, design changes, and reauthorization in a system built to be iterated in public view. SpaceX is asking to fly again after a booster loss that occurred in a phase of flight the company ultimately needs to master for full reusability. Each approval resets the countdown to the next data point, while the costs of delays land on SpaceX’s launch cadence and Starlink expansion rather than on the regulator.

SpaceX says the upcoming mission will be the second-ever launch of the third version of Starship. It will also be the first Starship test flight since SpaceX’s June IPO, which puts a quarterly reporting rhythm alongside an engineering program that still learns by breaking hardware.

The next Starship flight is expected to deploy 20 V3 Starlink satellites and then dispose of them in the atmosphere minutes later. The most visible payload may be the images sent back by the six satellites’ cameras.