# SpaceX Starship launches are on hold pending an investigation into last week's test flight.

*aerospace · news · 2026-05-27 · The Associated Press*

## Key points

- SpaceX Starship launches are paused while the FAA investigates last week's test flight mishap.
- Starship's first-stage booster engines failed during descent, preventing a controlled Gulf of Mexico landing.
- The main spacecraft released 20 mock satellites and splashed down in the Indian Ocean as planned.
- No injuries or property damage were reported from the incident, according to the FAA.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX Starship launches are on hold pending an investigation into last week’s test flight. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that the hourlong spaceflight resulted in a mishap based on the performance of the mega rocket’s first-stage booster. Minutes after Starship blasted off from Texas on Friday, the booster separated as normal but engines conked out as it made its way back to Earth. Instead of a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, the booster came in hard. There were no reports of injury or property damage, according to the FAA, which will oversee the company’s investigation. The spacecraft continued around the world, releasing 20 mock satellites before ending the mission as planned with a fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The 407-foot (124-meter) rocket is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s biggest and most powerful Starship yet, designed to carry crews to Mars. NASA is looking for it to land astronauts on the moon as soon as 2028 and help build a lunar base. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

**Companies:** SpaceX
**Countries:** United States, India

[Read the full story on The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/spacex-starship-faa-investigation-7bc8ecccd1f32fa2b1d2ea204f2b785b)

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