SpaceX is not yet cleared for another test flight of its Starship Super Heavy launch vehicle, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday.
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Elon Musk’s SpaceX will have to keep its Starship Super Heavy rocket grounded, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday, with the company needing to take 63 corrective actions before it can be cleared for another test flight.
The FAA has now completed its investigation of the April launch, in which the rocket exploded mid-flight.
Musk, CEO of SpaceX, claimed Tuesday in a post on X (formerly Twitter), which he now owns, that “Starship is ready for launch, awaiting FAA license approval.”
In an emailed statement, the agency said a final report “cites multiple root causes of the April 20, 2023 accident and 63 corrective actions that SpaceX should take to prevent a recurrence of the accident.”
Corrective actions include: “redesign of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, inclusion of additional reviews in the design process, safety of safety critical systems and components, including autonomous flight safety.” “Application of additional analysis and testing systems, and additional change control practices.”
In order for SpaceX to resume Starship launches at its facility in Boca Chica, Texas, the company will need to “implement all corrective actions affecting public safety” as determined by the FAA, and apply for a “license modification.” Must do and obtain FAA” that addresses all of its safety and other environmental regulatory requirements.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FAA supervised the SpaceX accident investigation, while NASA and the National Transportation Safety Board served as official observers. The full accident investigation report will not be made public because it contains sensitive data, including US export control information.
The first Starship launch saw a nearly 400-foot-tall rocket fly for more than three minutes — but it lost several engines, suffered serious damage to ground infrastructure, and the rocket failed to reach space after it fell and was intentionally destroyed. . Air.
The test flight and explosion left a crater in the ground, sent concrete debris into nearby tanks and other equipment, and affected sensitive habitat that is home to some endangered wildlife. This also caused a fire on about 4 acres of state park land.
Environmental and cultural heritage nonprofits sued the FAA after the first Starship test flight, alleging the agency failed to conduct proper environmental reviews before authorizing SpaceX to proceed with its launch plans at Boca Chica . SpaceX joined the FAA as a defendant in that case.
The Starship program is critical to the future of the company’s Starlink satellite internet business. A global network of more than 4,000 satellites, SpaceX’s Starlink provides internet service to more than 50 countries.
While the service has enabled battlefield communications in Ukraine, Musk has also used Starlink to influence battlefield strategy and outcomes there. According to a new biography of the CEO, he ordered engineers to halt Starlink’s satellite network service over Crimea to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.
