The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is grounding SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft after its recent explosion

The Federal Aviation Administration is SpaceX has requested an investigation into the incident What caused the company’s Starship rocket to crash Explodes mid-flight On January 16th. Until the FAA approves SpaceX’s investigation report, the company will not be allowed to move forward with future Starship missions.

The SpaceX launch appears to be going as planned before the explosion. The spacecraft successfully exited the launch pad, and SpaceX was able to pick up the ship’s boosters. But then, just eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the Starship spacecraft exploded, according to the British Daily Mail. SpaceX post-launch blog post. In response to the sudden explosion, the FAA activated a “Debris Response Area” slowing or diverting nearby flights to prevent further incidents, resulting in severe flight delays from multiple airlines, according to CNBC.

The FAA statement said no one was injured by falling debris, but it was working “to confirm reports of damage to public property in the Turks and Caicos Islands.” SpaceX’s investigation must determine not only what caused the explosion, but also the corrective actions the company needs to take to prevent it from happening again. “Preliminary data indicates a fire occurred at the back of the ship,” SpaceX says.

This isn’t the first time a spacecraft has met an explosive end. Multiple spacecraft launches have ended with either SpaceX vehicle Reinforcementthe Spacecraft Spacecraft or both of them Explode. However, the company seems to be getting better at capturing and reusing its extremely heavy boosters. The successful hunt that preceded the January 16 explosion is only the second time SpaceX has done so. Her first successful Super Heavy catch was In October 2024.