The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated that SpaceX complete a mishap investigation before it can proceed with the next launch of its Starship program. This requirement follows the analysis of the Starship Flight 12 mission, which occurred on May 22, 2026.
Details of the Incident
During the ascent of Flight 12, the Super Heavy booster, designated as Booster 19, experienced an off-nominal performance. Specifically, one of its 33 Raptor V3 engines failed approximately 1 minute and 42 seconds into the flight. Subsequently, SpaceX initiated a staggered shutdown of the engines, reducing the number from 32 to 5 as it approached stage separation.
At the 2 minute, 32-second mark, SpaceX reported that 12 out of 13 center engines were ignited, but several outer engines failed to reignite as planned. Dan Huot, a SpaceX communications team member, noted, “We are not seeing as many booster engines ignited as we expected for boostback, but we are seeing six good engines on ship.” This led to an early boostback shutdown.
Post-Mission Assessment
In its post-mission analysis, SpaceX acknowledged that the Super Heavy booster could not ignite all planned engines for its boostback burn, resulting in a partial burn that concluded prematurely. The booster subsequently attempted a landing burn but experienced a hard splashdown in the Gulf of America. Meanwhile, the upper stage, equipped with one of three Raptor Vacuum engines, successfully maneuvered to its intended splashdown site in the Indian Ocean.
The FAA has not identified the specific engine issue on the upper stage as a primary factor for the investigation, which is part of its oversight role to ensure public safety in commercial spaceflight.
Regulatory Oversight and Future Implications
The FAA’s oversight includes evaluating nine potential causes for a mishap investigation, such as hazardous debris impact and safety-critical system malfunctions. Importantly, the FAA confirmed that there were no reports of public injury or damage to property during the incident.
This is not SpaceX’s first encounter with mishap investigations; the company has previously completed similar assessments for earlier Starship launches. The current pause in launches will prompt a closer examination of the Raptor 3 engines, which debuted in Flight 12. While no public announcement has been made regarding the timeline for Flight 13, the combination of the failed boostback burn and engine issues suggests that an orbital launch may not occur soon.
SpaceX has hardware prepared for Flight 13, expected to include Ship 40 and Booster 20. The company has also moved Raptor engines from Booster 20 to Booster 19 following a static fire test that ended prematurely due to a ground-side issue.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
