SpaceX is in the headlines after its SN9 rocket met an explosive end during an attempting landing. However, after the crash, it was revealed that the rocket's predecessor had flown without Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval.

SN9, which was successfully launched on Tuesday, is the latest prototype rocket produced by SpaceX for eventual use for a Mars mission. While the launch was successful and SN9 performed as expected for most of its flight, the prototype met a fiery end after botching its attempting landing.

"We had, again, another great flight up ... we've just got to work on that landing a little bit," a SpaceX engineer remarked after the flight.

The SN9 launch is still considered a success by SpaceX, as the rough landing was expected by engineers and founder/CEO Elon Musk, who said as much on social media. However, the launch and subsequent events also came with an interesting revelation that, while SN9 received government approval for its test flight, SN8 did not. First reported by The Verge last week, and eventually confirmed by authorities, SpaceX had been denied a safety waiver from the FAA, yet flew the test flight anyway, prompting an official investigation.

Details are sparse as to what SpaceX's actual violations are (other than the general knowledge that it did not receive a safety waiver meant to protect the public during a failed test) and what penalties, other than a brief suspension of test flights, it faced due to its actions. However, SpaceX is facing greater scrutiny from the FAA for its future test launches because of its actions.

"The FAA will continue to work with SpaceX to evaluate additional information provided by the company as part of its application to modify its launch license. While we recognize the importance of moving quickly to foster growth and innovation in commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety. We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements," the FAA said.

The push to launch without regulatory approval is surprising to say the least, but also not the first time Elon Musk has faced off against authorities. SpaceX's ongoing feud with the FAA (which is far older than the December incident) is accompanied by Tesla's (TSLA  ) 2020 dispute with California, which saw Musk pushing factories to remain open during the onset of the coronavirus despite orders from state officials.