The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that SpaceX’s Starship rocket is grounded until the company and regulator complete an investigation into the midflight failure of the most recent test flight, which forced airlines to divert flights.
The regulator noted in a statement that, while there have been “no reports of public injury,” it has received “reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos” islands in the Caribbean.
SpaceX must complete the investigation and put in place any required corrective actions before the FAA issues the company with a new license to launch Starship again.
The FAA diverted and delayed dozens of commercial airline flights — including several operated by American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines — after the Starship rocket exploded and rained down debris minutes after launching on Thursday.
SpaceX said in a statement that it believes a fire in the vehicle led to Starship breaking apart. Videos posted on social media by people in the region showed the rocket detonating in space.
Notably, the FAA says it activated a “Debris Response Area” to warn aircraft of debris falling “outside of the identified closed aircraft hazard areas.”
Before rocket launches, the FAA publishes “Aircraft Hazard Areas” that tell pilots where debris may fall if something goes wrong midlaunch.
SpaceX initially published a statement on its website Thursday that Starship debris fell “into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas,” seemingly contradicting the FAA’s explanation for why a “Debris Response Area” was activated.
As of Friday morning, the latest SpaceX statement did not include that specific language. The company’s website said more broadly that “any surviving pieces of debris would have fallen into the designated hazard area” after the failure.
The FAA, in response to CNBC’s request for clarification on whether Starship debris landed outside the predefined hazard area, reiterated that its “information is preliminary and subject to change.” SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.