Wednesday, July 15, 2026

FAA closes Starship Flight 12 probe, clearing Flight 13

SpaceX

The FAA said on July 13 it had closed the SpaceX-led investigation into the loss of the Super Heavy booster on Starship's Flight 12 and accepted the findings, clearing the way for the next test flight. The agency said the mishap was caused by heat effects on propulsion-system components during ascent and erroneous engine-alarm settings, and that SpaceX had made hardware and software configuration changes to prevent a recurrence. Flight 13 - the second launch of the more powerful Version 3 vehicle, pairing Booster 20 with Ship 40 - is now targeted for no earlier than July 16 from Starbase, Texas.