Five days after the debut flight of the most powerful rocket in history, SpaceX received a ban on further launches. US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) qualified the situation with the first degree as an incident and requires an investigation before the next start.
22 May 2026 the launch of the new version of Starship V3 was generally successful. The upper stage launched into orbit 20 models of Starlink satellites and two real devices with cameras for filming the heat shield, after which he returned safely and landed near the coast of Australia. The problem occurred with the first stage of Super Heavy. It was to perform a series of engine braking maneuvers and gently land in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, the first stage was unable to perform these maneuvers and fell into the water with a hard impact.
For reference: Starship V3 (high 124 city) is the first system configuration, capable of flying into deep space. It is on it that NASA expects to deliver astronauts to the surface of the Moon as part of the Artemis mission 4 in 2028 year, although the lander has not yet been selected. He also participates in the competition Blue Moon from Blue Origin. SpaceX is counting, what Starship will make interplanetary flights economically affordable due to the full reusability of both stages.
The FAA ordered SpaceX to conduct its own investigation under their guidance. The regulator will participate in each stage of the inspection and must approve the final report together with a list of corrective actions. The exact dates of the investigation are unknown, but for SpaceX, delays rarely last long. Example, ban on flights of the Falcon rocket 9 in February of this year, it lasted four days.
Source: https://universemagazine.com