May 27 - The Federal Aviation Administration has directed SpaceX to investigate an incident in which the Starship Super Heavy booster suffered a mishap and plunged into the Gulf of Mexico during a test flight, according to a report on Wednesday by TechCrunch.
The FAA said it concluded that the Starship Flight 12 launch on May 22 involved a mishap affecting the Super Heavy booster as it returned to the Gulf of Mexico following stage separation. There were no reported injuries to members of the public and no reported damage to public property, the agency said.
Under the FAA's directive, SpaceX will lead the factual investigation but the agency will exercise oversight authority throughout the process. The FAA stated it will be involved in every step of the probe and must approve SpaceX's final investigation report, including any corrective actions proposed to address the causes of the mishap.
The stated objectives of the review are to support public safety, determine the cause of the mishap, and identify measures to prevent a recurrence. The FAA also made clear that any return to flight for the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle will require its approval after the agency is satisfied that any related system, process, or procedure does not pose a risk to public safety.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Context for oversight and investigation is limited to the information released by the FAA and the reporting noted above. The FAA's role, as described, combines supervisory oversight with final authority to accept the investigation's conclusions and any remedial steps. The agency emphasized public safety as the primary criterion for approving future flight operations of the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle.
Because the FAA will both observe and sign off on the company-led probe, the investigation will include external review and agency approval of corrective actions. The FAA's involvement at each stage is intended to ensure that findings and fixes meet the agency's public-safety standards before any operational resumption is authorized.
No additional technical details, causal explanations, or scheduled timelines for the investigation or return-to-flight approval were provided in the statements cited by the report.