FAA Completes SpaceX Investigation, Launch May Happen Monday

After a two-week investigation, the FAA has apparently decided that all is well with the SpaceX Starship interplanetary rocket test program even though its last two rockets blew to smithereens while attempting to land at the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, test facility. “The SN9 vehicle failed within the bounds of the FAA safety analysis,” the FAA said in a statement to CNN. “Its unsuccessful landing and explosion did not endanger the public or property." SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded by breaking his self-imposed exile from Twitter and tweeting there’s a “good chance of flying this week!” The launch of SN10 and the next attempt to land the silo-like rocket could happen as early as Monday.

The FAA delayed the SN9 launch because of a paperwork issue with the previous launch. That annoyed Musk, who criticized the FAA’s oversight. After SN9 blew up, the agency said it would oversee SpaceX’s investigation and get to the “root cause” of the spectacular failures. The SN9 crash happened after one of the two rockets needed to land the spacecraft failed to ignite. Musk and his engineers had already said they should have lit all three rockets, confirmed two burning, and shut down the third during the descent.