USA TODAY NETWORK The Federal Aviation Administration said approval for Starship's next flight test is pending the completion of an investigation into the vehicle's previous explosion. The Starship launch vehicle, which has been under development for years, has exploded twice in its first two demonstrations of 2025. While an investigation into the first fiery mishap in January has concluded, the FAA and SpaceX have yet to put the final touches on a similar inquiry into the most recent flight in March. SpaceX has a few more regulatory hurdles to clear before its gigantic Starship spacecraft can soar halfway around the world once again. Billionaire Elon Musk had made it known he hoped his commercial spaceflight company could launch the 400-foot rocket much sooner than federal regulators are apparently willing to allow. In a recent announcement, the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, said approval for Starship's next flight test is pending the completion of an investigation into the vehicle's previous explosion. The Starship launch vehicle, which has been under development for years, has exploded twice in its first two demonstrations of 2025. While an investigation into the first fiery mishap in January has concluded, the FAA and SpaceX have yet to put the final touches on a similar inquiry into the most recent flight in March. The delay comes as Musk, a close adviser of President Donald Trump, looks for SpaceX to significantly ramp up the testing of a vehicle that is due to play a significant role in upcoming U.S. spaceflight missions. SpaceX awaits FAA approval for Starship flight 9 The FAA announced May 15 that it had approved license modifications officially granting SpaceX's request to increase the number of Starship launches from Starbase in South Texas to 25 per year. "However, SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination," the agency said in a May 15 statement. "The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14." The two mishaps of 2025 prompted government officials in the United Kingdom to send a letter to the U.S. State Department, requesting that next flight's trajectory be changed to protect British territories in the Caribbean, ProPublica reported. The mishaps are part of the reason federal regulators also announced that the FAA is expanding the size of aircraft and maritime hazard areas in the U.S. and other countries for the next flight test. The decision is also because SpaceX intends to reuse for the first time a Super Heavy booster rocket that has launched before. When was Starship supposed to launch? Musk had hinted on Tuesday, May 13, that SpaceX could launch its Starship "next week" on its ninth flight test from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas. Maritime warnings over the Gulf of Mexico, renamed by the U.S. government as the Gulf of America, even suggested the launch was being targeted for Wednesday, May 21. An updated advisory now indicates a launch is planned as early as Tuesday, May 27. SpaceX, though, hasn't officially announced a target launch date while it awaits a green light from the FAA. What is Starship? SpaceX is developing Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions. In the years ahead, Starship is intended to carry both cargo and humans to Earth's orbit and deeper into the cosmos. NASA's lunar exploration plans, which appear to be in jeopardy under President Donald Trump's proposed budget, call for Artemis III astronauts aboard the Orion capsule to board the Starship while in orbit for a ride to the moon's surface.