The much-awaited SpaceX Starship Flight 9 is now cleared for launch that could happen as soon as next week, with the company getting their license from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
However, the FAA is no longer letting SpaceX handle the safety measures alone as the agency is now taking extra precautions for when the Starship takes to the skies.
The several launches of SpaceX’s Starship rocket have resulted in unfavorable outcomes, leading to explosions and loss of its powerful cosmic vehicle, and the FAA wants to ensure public safety when its next launch takes place.
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 Gets Launch Clearance
A new statement from the FAA has confirmed that SpaceX is now cleared to launch the Starship Flight 9. The FAA said in its release that, after investigating the mishaps in Flight 8 via its comprehensive safety review, SpaceX has “satisfactorily addressed” what caused the mishaps during the previous mission.
The FAA said that SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle can now return for flight in the schedule that the company chooses, and the agency would verify along the way if the company has already implemented all corrective actions.
With this, SpaceX has announced that after the FAA’s launch clearance, the Starship Flight 9 may launch as early as next week, targeting Tuesday, May 27, for its launch window opening at 6:30 p.m. Central Time.
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FAA Takes Precautions For Public Safety
However, the FAA has made certain precautions for this latest launch clearance given to SpaceX as the agency is now focusing more on public safety.
Flight 9 is getting an expanded Aircraft Hazard Area (AHA) that is twice the size that the previous one and now covers 1,600 nautical miles, including Texas and Florida, as well as the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
Moreover, SpaceX is advised to do its mission during non-peak hours of air flights.
SpaceX and the Starship Program
SpaceX had a significant moment last year with the Starship program, particularly as the company has overturned its fortunes after Flight 3 with the next three being hailed as successes.
The most success the company saw was with Flight 5, the mission that resulted in Mechazilla catching the Super Heavy Booster rocket with its arms for the first time and Ship 30 splashing down on the Indian Ocean.
However, 2025 was not a great year so far for Starship launches as there have been various incidents that the company faced during the missions. While it is true that in both Flight 7 and Flight 8, SpaceX was able to catch the Super Heavy Booster rockets with the Mechazilla’s mechanical arms after the first stage launch, both Ships saw rapid unscheduled disassembles or explosions.
In between those missions, SpaceX has worked with the FAA to fix and solve the problems that its Starship faced, adhering to the different concerns raised by the agency to avoid future explosions and mishaps.
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