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FAA Calls SpaceX Starship V3 Launch Mishap, Investigation Ordered

5/27/2026

49 10 Full Breakdown

Summary

SpaceX Mishap

The FAA declared SpaceX's Starship V3 launch on May 22, 2026 a mishap.
The FAA will supervise a SpaceX-led investigation and approve corrective actions.
The flight deployed 20 dummy and two Starlink satellites and soft-landed upper stage off Western Australia.
The Super Heavy booster missed its engine burns, causing a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX hopes V3 will fly on NASA’s Artemis 4 lunar mission in 2028 if cleared.

Summary

Blue Origin Launch

The FAA cleared Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket for flight and ordered mishap investigations.
Blue Origin plans its fourth New Glenn launch within the next month.
SpaceX’s IPO filing is slated for mid-June, and the Starship mishap may sway investors.
Starlink is SpaceX’s only profitable segment, while Starship development has cost over $15 billion and targets up to 120 annual launches from three Florida towers.

Summary

SpaceX Launch

FAA opened a Debris Response Area after the Super Heavy booster fell into the Gulf, confirming debris stayed within the zone and caused no injuries.
The incident caused six delays and five holds, but no aircraft were diverted.
Starship Flight 12 launched from a tower at Starbase, Texas, with Raptor engines, losing one upper-stage engine but still completing a suborbital flight and splashing down in the Indian Ocean off western Australia.

History

Historical Context

The 1984 Commercial Space Launch Act ended NASA’s shuttle monopoly, and the 2004 Amendments Act introduced a regulatory “learning period.” Building on that framework, NASA’s 2014 Commercial Crew Transportation Capability award gave SpaceX a $2.6 billion fixed-price contract and Boeing $4.2 billion, establishing the licensing rules the FAA now applies to Starship V3 and Blue Origin’s New Glenn.

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SpaceX Mishap

The FAA declared SpaceX's Starship V3 launch on May 22, 2026 a mishap.
The FAA will supervise a SpaceX-led investigation and approve corrective actions.
The flight deployed 20 dummy and two Starlink satellites and soft-landed upper stage off Western Australia.
The Super Heavy booster missed its engine burns, causing a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX hopes V3 will fly on NASA’s Artemis 4 lunar mission in 2028 if cleared.

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