SpaceX has received the green light from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed with the ninth test flight of its Starship rocket. Following a detailed safety review of Flight 8 earlier this year, the FAA has determined that SpaceX meets all safety, environmental, and licensing requirements for Starship’s return to flight.
Starship Flight 9 Approved, Launch Expected Next Week
The FAA announced on Thursady that Starship Flight 9 is authorized for launch from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas, with liftoff expected no earlier than Tuesday, May 28. This follows a months-long investigation into the failure of Flight 8, which saw Ship 34 disintegrate over the Atlantic shortly after stage separation.
While such fiery endings are not atypical for a vehicle still in development, the FAA required SpaceX to update its entire flight safety analysis based on all prior test flights. That data included population risk exposure, vehicle failure probability, and debris trajectory modeling.
In a significant milestone, Flight 9 will mark the first time a previously flown Super Heavy booster is reused—a key step toward achieving rapid and cost-effective launches.
Expanded Safety Zones and New Regulations
As part of the approval, the FAA expanded the hazard zone for Flight 9, now covering 1,600 nautical miles. This zone stretches eastward from Texas through the Straits of Florida and into the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos. The enlarged area nearly doubles the flight corridor of the previous mission.
SpaceX is also required to carry a $500 million liability insurance policy for this launch. The FAA said it coordinated closely with international aviation and government authorities in the UK, Mexico, Cuba, and Caribbean nations to mitigate public safety risks.
Musk to Reveal Mars Mission Update Ahead of Launch
Ahead of Flight 9, Elon Musk is expected to deliver a live-streamed presentation from Starbase outlining SpaceX’s updated roadmap to Mars. According to Musk, the new plan includes launching a robotic mission—carrying a robot codenamed “Optimus”—to the Red Planet by the end of 2026.
The timeline aligns with the next optimal Earth-Mars transfer window, a celestial alignment that occurs roughly every 26 months and significantly reduces travel time and fuel costs. Human landings, Musk has suggested, could begin by 2029 or 2031 depending on test outcomes.
Just before the Starship flight next week, I will give a company talk explaining the Mars game plan in Starbase, Texas, that will also be live-streamed on https://t.co/cxztHrK285
— Kekius Maximus (@elonmusk) May 13, 2025
Final Preparations Underway
SpaceX has already completed a six-engine static fire test on the upper-stage Starship, and final preparations are in motion. If Flight 9 is successful, it will further validate the hardware and operational systems needed to make Starship a fully reusable launch vehicle.
The FAA’s latest ruling follows its earlier decision to increase SpaceX’s annual launch limit at Starbase from five to 25. Starbase itself was also recently incorporated as an official city in Texas.
