The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it has approved the return to flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle after reviewing and accepting the SpaceX-led investigative findings and corrective actions taken for the September 28 accident.
The FAA said on Sept. 30 that SpaceX was to investigate why its Falcon 9 second stage malfunctioned after a NASA astronaut mission, grounding the launch vehicle for the third time in three months.
The malfunction caused the booster to fall into an area of the Pacific Ocean outside the designated safety zone approved by the FAA.
The FAA also said Friday that it had closed the SpaceX-led investigation into the Falcon 9 accidents that occurred with Starlink missions in July and August.
On Sunday, the FAA said SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket could return to flight on Monday from Florida for a mission to the European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft.
Separately, Reuters reported this week that the FAA could approve a license for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship 5 this month. Starship 5 is the fifth test launch of the company’s rocket it calls Starship.
The Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket is a fully reusable system designed to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond.
Last month, the FAA said it did not expect a decision on the license before the end of November. SpaceX said on Monday that the fifth flight test of Starship could begin as soon as Sunday, pending regulatory approval.
The FAA has repeatedly said it does not expect to make a decision on licensing until the end of November. On Tuesday it said only that it was still reviewing the proposed mission and would make a decision “after SpaceX meets all licensing requirements.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has strongly criticized the FAA, including proposing a $633,000 fine against SpaceX over launch issues and delays in approving the license for Starship 5, which the company says Ready to launch from August. Musk has called for the resignation of FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker and threatened to sue the agency.
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