The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered SpaceX to investigate the Starship V3 booster failure

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered SpaceX to investigate why its Starship booster failed during the company’s May 22 test flight, according to a statement issued to TechCrunch on Wednesday.

This means SpaceX will have to pause any further Starship test launches until the investigation is complete and the results are submitted to the FAA for approval, reducing the chance of another test before the company’s expected IPO in mid-June.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“After a comprehensive evaluation of the operation, the FAA determined that the launch of SpaceX Starship Flight 12 on May 22 resulted in a mishap. The incident involved the Super Heavy booster returning to America Gulf after the separation phase. There were no reports of general injuries or damage to public property,” the FAA wrote. “The FAA will oversee the SpaceX-led investigation, participate in every step of the process, and approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions.”

The Starship booster problem occurred just minutes into the flight, which was the first launch of SpaceX’s upgraded version of its superheavy rocket system. The first V3 spacecraft successfully crossed the point of maximum dynamic pressure into space, where the booster was supposed to separate from the ship and return to the bay for a simulated water landing.

The booster has separated from the ship. But it immediately encountered an apparent engine failure — or a potential series of engine failures — when it attempted to perform the sustained burn intended to propel the booster back toward SpaceX’s launch site in south Texas. This caused the booster to fall towards the bay before likely exploding on impact.

SpaceX has made a slew of changes to how Starship operates in this third iteration, with the goal of making the rocket far more reliable than it was in the previous 11 test flights. This included modifications to the booster design, the inclusion of all-new third-generation Raptor engines, and upgrades to the Starship itself.

The spacecraft experienced a failure of its own after the booster separated, losing one of its six engines. This contributed to SpaceX abandoning one of its test goals for the flight, which was to perform another sustained in-orbit burn with the Starship.

SpaceX expects its rockets to fail in various ways during this development process, although the goal is to create a vehicle like the Falcon 9 that becomes not only reliable, but incredibly reusable. Making reusable rockets is Crucial to reduce associated costs With sending heavy payloads into space. As it is Detailed in the IPO fileSpaceX is completely dependent on Starship becoming reliable and reusable in order to continue growing its Starlink service, which is by far the company’s largest revenue generator and currently its only profitable business.

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered SpaceX to conduct multiple investigations into incidents during spacecraft development. The federal agency also asked SpaceX competitor Blue Origin to do it while that company develops its New Glenn heavy rocket.

Just last week, the Federal Aviation Administration allowed New Glenn to fly again. Blue Origin is expected to make its fourth New Glenn launch attempt in the next month or so.