FAA Declares SpaceX Starship Flight 12 a 'Mishap,' Blocking Further Flights Pending Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that SpaceX’s May 22 Starship Flight 12 launch was a “mishap,” a formal determination that means the company cannot fly Starship again until it completes an FAA-overseen investigation and the agency signs off on the results.

In a statement dated May 27, the FAA said: “After a thorough assessment of the operation, the FAA has determined the May 22 SpaceX Starship Flight 12 launch resulted in a mishap. The mishap involved the Super Heavy booster as it flew back to the Gulf of America after stage separation. There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property.”

The launch took place from SpaceX’s Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas. Under the FAA’s commercial launch rules, a mishap investigation is the standard process used after an anomaly during a licensed launch or reentry operation. In practical terms, Starship cannot return to flight until the investigation is finished and the FAA approves both the final report and any corrective actions.

“The FAA is requiring SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation. The FAA will oversee the SpaceX-led investigation, be involved in every step of the process, and approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions,” the agency said.

The FAA’s action is focused on the Super Heavy booster, the first-stage rocket that separated from Starship during ascent and then attempted to return. The agency did not report any injuries or damage to public property tied to the event.

Press coverage of the flight said the booster experienced engine anomalies during its return and made a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The upper stage, by contrast, continued its mission and later splashed down in the Indian Ocean, according to flight coverage.

The FAA also disclosed several operational and public-safety details from the incident. The agency said it activated a Debris Response Area, a temporary measure used to manage air traffic when debris could pose a hazard. It later said debris landed within the designated hazard area. The event led to six departure delays and five airborne holding events, but no aircraft diversions, according to the FAA.

The decision is significant for SpaceX because Starship is the company’s next-generation launch system for satellite missions, deep-space flights and other future work. It also matters beyond SpaceX: NASA has selected a version of Starship to serve as the Human Landing System for Artemis lunar missions, making the pace of testing relevant to the agency’s moon program.

Still, the FAA’s latest move is not unusual in itself. The regulator has required previous Starship mishap investigations after earlier test-flight anomalies. In those cases, as here, SpaceX was responsible for investigating what went wrong, while the FAA determined whether the company had taken sufficient corrective action to protect public safety before flying again.

For now, the next step is clear: SpaceX must complete its investigation into the booster mishap, and the FAA must accept the findings and corrective actions before Starship can launch again.