SpaceX needs to figure out what happened on the ninth test flight of its Starship megarocket, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decreed.

Flight 9, which lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on Tuesday (May 27), ended in the destruction of both of Starship's stages — its Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage (which is also sometimes known, somewhat confusingly, as Starship).

But the FAA, which grants launch licenses for U.S. operators, is only concerned about one of those explosive events.

"The mishap investigation is focused only on the loss of the Starship vehicle, which did not complete its launch or reentry as planned," FAA officials wrote in an update today (May 30).

"The FAA determined that the loss of the Super Heavy booster is covered by one

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