Spaceflight Insider

News Archive / Tagged: Federal Aviation Administration

  • FAA closes SpaceX Starship investigation, orders fixes

    Derek RichardsonSeptember 11th, 2023

    It’s been more than four months since the first integrated flight test of SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy rocket, which resulted in the vehicle breaking apart several minutes into flight.

  • FAA grounds Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo after ‘mishap’ report

    Theresa CrossSeptember 6th, 2021

    Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo program after a “mishap” occurred on the company's last crewed flight into space.

  • Starship SN11 launch delayed because FAA inspector not present

    Nicholas D'AlessandroMarch 29th, 2021

    SpaceX's Starship SN11 appeared ready to fly March 29 as its flaps were unchained and tested with Highway 4 beginning to close down as well.

  • Regulators withhold Starship SN9 flight approval, test delayed

    Derek RichardsonJanuary 28th, 2021

    When SpaceX employees in South Texas woke up this morning, they likely expected they'd be flying their Starship SN9 prototype on a high-altitude test, hopefully ending with a successful landing. However, the regulatory process appeared to keep the test article firmly planted on the ground.

  • Moon Express regulatory approval prompts questions about space law

    Tomasz NowakowskiAugust 9th, 2016

    Pioneering space endeavors often run far ahead of the international laws and regulations that serve as legal frameworks to guide humanity's exploration of space. Two recent cases have brought the question of who has the right to travel to, and in some cases, exploit space-based resources.

  • Moon Express gains regulatory approval for Moon shot

    Derek RichardsonAugust 3rd, 2016

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved Moon Express’ MX-1E spacecraft for a commercial landing on the Moon – the first time any private company has gained regulatory approval to send payload beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO).