SpaceX cleared to fly Starship again after booster failure in May

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared SpaceX to resume flying Starship prototypes after the company identified the probable cause of a booster failure in May. SpaceX said the next Starship test flight could occur as soon as Thursday, July 16, and would be the second-ever launch of Starship Version 3 (V3). This flight is intended to carry the first third-generation Starlink satellites; earlier Starship flights used dummy versions. In the May 22 launch, SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster lifted the 407-foot rocket into space, but after separation the engines failed to re-ignite properly and the booster plunged into Gulf of Mexico waters. SpaceX said slight differences in engine startup led the booster to flip 90 degrees incorrectly, and it has modified the startup sequence and alarm/abort systems. The FAA also cited heat effects and erroneous engine alarm settings.