The US Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) reported an anomaly during the 12th test flight of the Starship launch vehicle, launched on May 22 by the American company SpaceX.
“The Federal Aviation Administration is aware of an anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starship mission. The anomaly hit the Super Heavy booster during its turn over the Gulf of Mexico. There are no reports of injuries or property damage“, the agency said in a statement.
It was noted that debris from the Starship booster fell into a “danger zone“. The FAA is assessing the situation and is not ready to conclude that this was an accident, the agency added.
On May 22, SpaceX launched a rocket carrying the Starship prototype on its 12th test flight. The rocket lifted off from the Starbase launch site in Texas at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 a.m. Bulgarian time). Starship S39 is the first of SpaceX's third-generation V3 rockets. It is the largest rocket ever built, standing 400 feet (124 meters) tall and providing approximately 18,000 tons of thrust.