WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Tuesday it is in “close contact” with SpaceX as the company reviews a fire that occurred as part of its Super Heavy booster rocket development but is barred from investigating.
The FAA said U.S. law “limits the FAA’s safety oversight to protecting the public during scheduled launch and reentry operations. Yesterday’s event does not fall under the agency’s jurisdiction.” A booster rocket developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its next-generation Starship spacecraft burst into flames during a ground-test firing on Monday in Texas, dealing a likely setback to Musk’s aim of launching Starship to orbit this year.
(Reporting by David Shepardson)
