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FAA orders SpaceX to investigate Starship V3 booster failure

Published

1 month ago

May 27, 2026

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered SpaceX to investigate why its Starship booster failed during the company’s May 22 test flight, according to a statement released to TechCrunch on Wednesday.

This means SpaceX will have to pause any further Starship test launches until the investigation is completed and the results are submitted to the FAA for approval, diminishing the chance that another will occur before the company’s anticipated IPO in mid-June.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“After a thorough assessment of the operation, the FAA has determined the May 22 SpaceX Starship Flight 12 launch resulted in a mishap. The mishap involved the Super Heavy booster as it flew back to the Gulf of America after stage separation. There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property,” the FAA wrote. “The FAA will oversee the SpaceX-led investigation, be involved in every step of the process, and approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions. ”

The problem with the Starship booster occurred a few minutes into the flight, which was the first launch of SpaceX’s upgraded version of its super heavy rocket system. The first “V3” Starship made it through the point of maximum dynamic pressure and into space, where the booster was supposed to separate from the ship and return to the Gulf for a simulated landing in the water.

The booster did separate from the ship. But it immediately experienced an apparent engine failure — or a possible series of engine failures — when it tried to perform the sustained burn that is meant to propel the booster back toward SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas. This led to the booster tumbling down towards the Gulf before most likely exploding on impact.

SpaceX made a plethora of changes to how Starship works in this third version, with the intention of making the rocket far more reliable than it was in the previous 11 test flights. That included tweaks to the design of the booster, the inclusion of all-new third-generation Raptor engines, and upgrades to the Starship vehicle itself.

Starship experienced its own failure after the booster separated, as it lost one of its six raptor engines. This contributed to SpaceX abandoning one of its testing goals for the flight, which was to do another sustained burn in orbit with Starship.

SpaceX expects its rockets to fail in various ways during this development process, though the goal is to ultimately create a vehicle like the Falcon 9 that becomes not only reliable, but incredibly reusable. Making reusable rockets is crucial to lowering the costs associated with sending heavy payloads to space. As it detailed in its IPO filing, SpaceX is thoroughly reliant on Starship becoming reliable and reusable in order to continue growing its Starlink service, which is by far the company’s biggest revenue generator and currently its only profitable business.

The FAA has ordered SpaceX to perform multiple mishap investigations during the development of Starship. The federal agency also ordered SpaceX rival Blue Origin to perform them as that company develops its own heavy-lift rocket, New Glenn.

Just last week, the FAA cleared New Glenn to fly again. Blue Origin is expected to perform the fourth New Glenn launch attempt in the next month or so.

Related Topics:booster FAA failure investigate orders SpaceX Starship

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Court orders ADC welfare secretary to pay N100m damages to two judges

Published

5 hours ago

July 6, 2026

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The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Welfare Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nkemakolam Ukandu, to pay a total of N100 million in damages to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and Justice Peter Lifu over a suit the court struck out for lack of diligent prosecution.

Justice Salim Ibrahim, who delivered the ruling on Monday, ordered Ukandu to pay N50 million each to Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu within 14 days.

The order followed an oral application by counsel to the two judges, Mr J. U. K. Igwe, SAN.

Earlier, Justice Ibrahim struck out Ukandu’s suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1165/2026, after finding that the plaintiff had failed to diligently prosecute the matter.

Ukandu had sued the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu over allegations of judicial bias and disobedience to court orders. He sought an order compelling the NJC to investigate claims of corruption, abuse of judicial powers, and bias allegedly committed by the two judges.

However, the plaintiff and his lawyer repeatedly failed to appear before Justice Ibrahim after the case was assigned to him.

The judge had, on June 30, warned that the suit could be dismissed if neither Ukandu nor his counsel appeared at subsequent proceedings.

The case arose from the ongoing leadership dispute within the ADC involving an aggrieved party member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, whose substantive suit is pending before Justice Lifu.

Gombe is seeking a court order restraining the leadership of the party, led by former Senate President David Mark, from presenting themselves as the legitimate leaders of the ADC.

Ukandu, who is seeking to be joined in that case, accused Justice Tsoho and Justice Lifu of manifest bias and alleged that they were acting in the interest of certain individuals against the party.

In his originating suit, Ukandu challenged the decision of the Chief Judge to reassign the leadership dispute from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Lifu, arguing that the reassignment violated both an earlier order of Justice Nwite and a decision of the Supreme Court.

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Stan Okoye Shuts Down ‘Saviour’ Claims After D’Tigers Revive World Cup Qualification Hopes

Published

6 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Preport

WhatsApp Image 2026 07 06 at 6.17.04 PM.jpeg

D’Tigers forward Stan Okoye has dismissed claims that he single-handedly rescued Nigeria’s 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification campaign, insisting the team’s recent resurgence was built on collective effort rather than individual brilliance.

Okoye played a key role as Nigeria secured crucial victories during the latest qualification window in Luanda, Angola, defeating Tunisia, Guinea and Rwanda to breathe new life into their World Cup hopes under new head coach David Fizdale.

The experienced guard, one of the leaders in the D’Tigers squad, believes the team’s turnaround was largely due to the return of several core players who brought quality, experience and stability to the squad.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say one player rescued the team. This was a collective effort, and everyone contributed to the victories,” Okoye said.

Nigeria entered the qualification window under pressure after a difficult start to the campaign, but three consecutive wins have dramatically improved the country’s chances of progressing to the next phase of the African qualifiers.

Okoye credited the improved squad depth and team spirit for the impressive performances, stressing that the players remained focused on achieving the objective rather than seeking individual recognition.

“We had more of our core players available this time, and that made a big difference. Our focus was on getting the results Nigeria needed, not on individual performances,” he added.

The former Basket Zaragoza and Gran Canaria star also revealed that the team drew motivation from Nigeria’s position in the FIBA world rankings, with the players determined to restore the country’s status among Africa’s basketball elite.

With momentum now firmly on Nigeria’s side, Okoye believes D’Tigers have laid a strong foundation for the remainder of the qualification campaign, expressing confidence that the team can continue building under Fizdale as they pursue a place at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.