AUSTIN, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted approval for the upcoming flight of SpaceX's Starship, even as investigations regarding the previous failed flight are underway. The FAA announced its decision on February 28, confirming that SpaceX could proceed with the impending Flight 8, now slated for March 3 or shortly thereafter.

The FAA communicated, "After completing the required and comprehensive safety review, the FAA determined the SpaceX Starship vehicle can return to flight operations while the investigation into the January 16 Starship Flight 7 mishap remains open." The agency is overseeing the ongoing investigation being led by SpaceX.

Overview of Flight 7 Mishap

During Flight 7, telemetry from the upper stage was lost approximately eight minutes after liftoff. The vehicle ultimately disintegrated in midair, with debris falling on the Turks and Caicos Islands, fortunately causing no injuries or significant damage.

SpaceX, on February 24, stated that they successfully concluded their investigation into the mishap. They attributed the failure to a "harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing," which resulted in damaged propellant lines in the aft section of the vehicle. This damage led to fuel leaks igniting, prompting the termination of the engines shortly after telemetry was lost.

Details of the Temporary Approval

The FAA has not elaborated on the factors that necessitate keeping the mishap investigation open. As indicated in SpaceX's statement about the investigation, they had originally planned to launch as early as February 28 but later rescheduled to March 3.

Event	Date	Details
Flight 7 Launch	January 16, 2025	Telemetry lost; vehicle disintegrated.
FAA Approval for Flight 8	February 28, 2025	Approval granted amidst ongoing investigation.
Planned Flight 8 Launch	March 3, 2025	Launch reinstated after FAA review.

Revised Launch License

On the same day, the FAA announced it had updated the launch license for Starship, which now accommodates both suborbital and orbital missions. Previous versions solely referred to suborbital activities. This suggests that SpaceX is approaching the initiation of orbital flights with the vehicle.

The amended license delineates "orbital mission" activities as ranging from launch to the deployment of payloads or the achievement of a "first steady-state orbit," for missions not involving payload deployment.

Public Safety Considerations

Reentry activities begin with readiness assessment in orbit or outer space, ensuring public safety during the landing or impact phase.
The commencement of pre-flight operations has been shifted in the license from the mounting of flight termination system ordinance to the go/no-go poll before propellant loading, which takes place about 75 minutes before launch.

Conclusion

As flight operations resume, strict safety protocols will remain in place. The FAA's oversight and SpaceX's commitment to implementing corrective measures are vital to preventing future incidents and ensuring the successful launch of the Starship program.