FAA Grounds 408-Foot Starship V3 After May 22 Mishap
Updated
Updated · Space.com · May 27
FAA Grounds 408-Foot Starship V3 After May 22 Mishap
14 articles · Updated · Space.com · May 27
Five days after Starship V3’s debut, the FAA said SpaceX cannot fly the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle again until a mishap investigation is completed and approved.
The agency tied the grounding to Super Heavy’s failed return on the May 22 test, when the booster missed planned engine burns and made a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
Flight 12 still met several major objectives: Ship deployed 20 dummy Starlinks plus 2 camera-equipped satellites, then survived reentry and splashed down off Western Australia as planned.
The FAA said it will oversee the SpaceX-led probe and sign off on corrective actions before flights resume, though the timeline remains unclear.
Starship V3 is central to SpaceX’s deep-space plans and is slated to carry astronauts for NASA’s Artemis 4 lunar mission in late 2028.
Can SpaceX's colossal IPO valuation survive a federal probe just weeks before its stock market debut?
Is the FAA's safety probe a necessary check or a major roadblock to rapid space innovation?
May 22, 2026 Starship V3 Test Flight: Booster Failure, FAA Grounding, and Implications for NASA and SpaceX
Overview
The May 22, 2026, Starship V3 test flight was a major milestone for SpaceX, featuring new design upgrades and advanced Raptor engines aimed at improving reliability. During the mission, the Starship upper stage successfully deployed 22 satellites using an upgraded mechanism, demonstrating key operational progress. However, a critical failure occurred with the Super Heavy booster, which triggered an immediate regulatory response and led to the grounding of the Starship program for investigation. This incident highlights both the technical advancements achieved and the ongoing challenges SpaceX faces in ensuring full reliability and safety for future flights.