The Federal Aviation Administration closed its investigation into the accident on SpaceX’s first orbital test flight in April, but regulators will not give the green light for a second launch until the company completes more than 60 “corrective actions.”
While the FAA did not reveal details of the 63 actions SpaceX must take before launching Starship again, the agency provided a list of just some of what is expected, including redesigning the vehicle’s hardware, redesigning the launch pad and additional analysis and safety testing. . Critical systems.
Once SpaceX has implemented all corrective actions — and only at this point — it can apply for a modified license from the FAA and launch again.
“The closure of the investigation into the mishap does not indicate the immediate resumption of Starship launches in Boca Chica,” the agency said, referring to the massive Starship development and launch facility in southeast Texas.
In auspicious timing The update was posted on their websiteSpaceX said “lessons learned” from the spacecraft’s first launch contribute to “several upgrades” to the vehicle and ground infrastructure.
“This rapid, iterative development approach has been the foundation for all of SpaceX’s major innovative developments, including Falcon, Dragon, and Starlink,” the company said in the update.
SpaceX said it is also implementing upgrades unrelated to any issues with the first flight test. These systems include a new electrical system to control the thrust vectors of the Super Heavy engines, as well as a so-called “hot stage” separation system, which involves igniting the Starship’s second stage engines to push away from the booster.
However, the company hasn’t specifically discussed any corrective action, so it’s still unclear how far SpaceX might be on that 63-point list — and how close it might be to launching Starship again.
The FAA’s statement that SpaceX has items remaining to correct appears to contradict what SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “Starship is ready for launch, awaiting FAA authorization approval,” without mentioning any remaining corrective actions or upgrades.
SpaceX conducted the first orbital flight test of the 394-foot-tall spacecraft on April 20. During this launch, the incredible thrust from the super-heavy vehicle’s 33 Raptor engines wreaked havoc on the launch pad, spewing chunks of concrete and sand that exploded. For miles in the surrounding area. Once the rocket was in the air, one engine after another shut down, prompting SpaceX to issue an auto-destruct command that caused the rocket to explode in midair about four minutes after launch.
Hence the investigation into the accident.
Mishap investigations are the normal course of action when missiles go off course. It is managed by the company (in this case, SpaceX) and overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency that regulates launch safety. The FAA said the investigation contains private information and therefore will not be released to the public.