FAA ends investigations into SpaceX and Blue Origin mishaps

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has concluded its investigations into two significant aerospace mishaps involving SpaceX and Blue Origin. The investigation into the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 explosion, which occurred in January 2025, has revealed that the explosion was caused by stronger-than-expected vibrations during flight. This translated to excessive stress on the propulsion system, ultimately leading to what the FAA described as a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' of the vehicle. The incident took place over the Turks and Caicos islands, situated to the southeast of the Bahamas. The FAA reported that post-incident, SpaceX identified eleven corrective measures aimed at preventing similar occurrences in future flights. These actions were verified by the FAA before the subsequent Flight 8, which took place two months later in March 2025. However, Flight 8, too, ended in an explosion, and the investigation into this particular incident remains open, with the FAA emphasizing public safety as a priority for any future flights. In parallel, Blue Origin's New Glenn-1 mission, launched on January 16, 2025, successfully put its payload into orbit but failed at a critical juncture concerning the recovery of its first stage. The FAA attributed this failure to the first stage's engines not reigniting correctly, which precluded a necessary reentry burn, resulting in the loss of the stage. Blue Origin outlined seven corrective actions to avert a recurrence of this mishap, which will also be verified by the FAA prior to their planned launch of the New Glenn-2 mission. The incident highlighted the challenges that both companies face in meeting ambitious goals and ensuring safe operations. In a post on social media, Blue Origin indicated their commitment to returning to flight in late spring 2025, with intentions to improve upon their previous attempts to recover the booster stage intact. These developments reflect a broader trend in the aerospace industry, where both innovation and safety remain intricate components of a rapidly evolving landscape.