FAA demands an accident investigation into SpaceX's latest out-of-control Starship flight

Key Points

• The FAA has ordered an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest out-of-control Starship test flight.
• The 403-foot rocket reached mid-orbit and flew halfway around the world before spinning out and breaking apart over the Indian Ocean, though no injuries or public damage were reported.
• All wreckage from both the Starship spacecraft and its first-stage booster fell within approved hazard zones, with the booster’s break-up part of a pre-approved extreme test.
• The FAA will supervise SpaceX’s required investigation before any further Starship launches, as Elon Musk pushes to ramp up flight cadence toward lunar and Mars missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is demanding an accident investigation into this week’s out-of-control Starship flight by SpaceX.

Tuesday's test flight from Texas lasted longer than the previous two failed demos of the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, which ended in flames over the Atlantic. The latest spacecraft made it halfway around the world to the Indian Ocean, but not before going into a spin and breaking apart.

The FAA said Friday that no injuries or public damage were reported.

The first-stage booster — recycled from an earlier flight — also burst apart while descending over the Gulf of Mexico. But that was the result of deliberately extreme testing approved by the FAA in advance.

All wreckage from both sections of the 403-foot (123-meter) rocket came down within the designated hazard zones, according to the FAA.

The FAA will oversee SpaceX's investigation, which is required before another Starship can launch.

CEO Elon Musk said he wants to pick up the pace of Starship test flights, with the ultimate goal of launching them to Mars. NASA needs Starship as the means of landing astronauts on the moon in the next few years.

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