The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that SpaceX's Starship rocket will remain grounded until the corporate and regulators complete an investigation into the in-flight failure of its recent test flight, which has forced airlines to reroute flights.
The regulator noted in a press release that while there have been “no reports of public injuries,” it had received “reports of damage to public property in the Turks and Caicos Islands” within the Caribbean.
SpaceX must complete the investigation and take any crucial corrective actions before the FAA issues the corporate a brand new license to restart Starship.
The FAA has diverted and delayed dozens of economic airline flights — including several it operated American Airlines, JetBlue Airways And Delta Air Lines — after the Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch Thursday, showering debris.
SpaceX said in a press release that it believes a fireplace within the vehicle led to Starship's breakup. Videos posted on social media by people within the region showed the rocket detonating in space.
Specifically, the FAA says it has activated a “Debris Response Area” to warn aircraft of debris falling “outside the identified closed aircraft hazard areas.”
Before rocket launches, the FAA publishes “Aircraft Hazard Areas,” which tell pilots where debris could fall if something goes unsuitable during launch.
SpaceX initially posted a press release on its website Thursday that spacecraft debris “fell into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined danger zones,” apparently contradicting the FAA's explanation for activating a “debris response zone.”
As of Friday morning, SpaceX's latest statement didn’t contain that specific language. The company's website stated more generally that after the outage, “any remaining debris would have fallen into the designated danger zone.”
The FAA reiterated that its “information is preliminary and subject to change” in response to CNBC's request for clarification on whether spacecraft debris landed outside the predefined danger zone. SpaceX didn’t reply to a request for comment.
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