FAA Clears Additional Starship Reentry Trajectories Ahead of Flight 14

The FAA published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register on September 4, 2026 for its Final Tiered Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact covering additional SpaceX Starship reentry contingency operations in the Pacific Ocean and an additional Starship landing trajectory back to Starbase. The finding — following a draft assessment released July 13 and a public comment period that closed August 3 with 37 comments received — clears a new Northern Pacific Contingency Landing Area and expands two previously evaluated zones, the Hawaii/Central Pacific Ocean Contingency Landing Area and the Southeast Pacific Contingency Landing Area, while removing the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone from the action area to limit potential effects on marine ecosystems and cultural resources. The approval, which local Texas outlets reported the FAA had reached by September 3, modifies SpaceX's vehicle operator license to give Ship 41 backup splashdown options if the primary return-to-Starbase trajectory or catch-tower attempt cannot be used, and follows an August 31 FCC filing that set a September 15, 2026 target date for Starship's 14th flight test — SpaceX's first attempt to reach full orbital velocity. The decision is a regulatory milestone rather than a launch announcement and does not by itself set or confirm a new flight date.