WASHINGTON, May 27 : The Federal Aviation Administration ordered SpaceX to investigate why its Starship booster suffered a mishap and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico during a test flight last week, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday.The FAA said it determined the SpaceX Starship Flight 12 launch on May 22 resul

A closeup shot of SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster, tail number Booster 19, during the initial moments of ascent on the Starship Flight 12 mission on May 22, 2026. Image: SpaceX

Starship is grounded until SpaceX finds out why the first V3 booster failed during its first test flight.

SpaceX Starship launches are paused. An investigation is underway after a recent test flight. The rocket's first-stage booster experienced engine issues during its return. It did…