Minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft was expected to separate from the rocket booster, but the Super Heavy “vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble,” according to SpaceX. The company described what happened as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” — its oft-used euphemism for an explosive mishap. The vehicle’s flight termination, or self-destruct, feature was triggered, exploding the spacecraft and booster over the Gulf of Mexico. Musk said that feature took longer than expected to blow up the rocket, ensuring it didn’t careen off course, and that the flight termination system would need to be re-certified. That could be the determining factor in how long it takes the company to get a new Starship on the launch pad. But there was some good news: “The vehicle structural margins appear to be better than we expected,” Musk said. “As we can tell the vehicle is actually doing somersaults towards the end and still staying intact.” Here’s what the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA and other agencies have had to say since then. The FAA The FAA is charged with overseeing the mishap investigation. The agency licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth. Such investigations are routine and have taken place after previous — but smaller-scale — Starship test launches in South Texas. The FAA’s review “will determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions the operator must implement to avoid a recurrence,” the agency said in an emailed statement Friday. The Starship spacecraft, atop its Super Heavy rocket, lifts off on April 20 from SpaceX's launchpad on an uncrewed test flight before exploding, near Brownsville, Texas. Joe Skipper/Reuters SpaceX is not permitted to make another launch attempt of a Starship vehicle until that review is complete. And it’s not clear how long it will take. “We aren’t going to speculate on timelines,” the FAA said. “Safety will dictate the timeline.” Cameron County, Texas, which encompasses SpaceX’s facilities near Boca Chica Beach, the city of Brownsville, as well as South Padre Island and Port Isabel — alerted the public to contact SpaceX if any debris is found. “If you believe you have found a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly,” a notice on Cameron County’s website reads. A hotline to report debris has been set up at 866-623-0234, or officials can be reached by email at recovery@spacex.com. The US Fish and Wildlife Service The US Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement that it’s working with SpaceX, the FAA and other involved parties to “provide on-the-ground guidance to minimize further impacts and reduce long-term damages to natural resources.” Colorado checkered whiptail triploid female, Aspidoscelis neotesselata Carina Kusaka