SpaceX’s Starship to remain grounded after explosion probe
- Elon Musk’s company must complete 63 fixes to prevent a repeat of the failures that saw the powerful rocket disintegrate in a ball of fire during a test launch
- The incident prompted an investigation and months-long review by the US Federal Aviation Administration
SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, must remain grounded while Elon Musk’s company completes dozens of corrective actions to prevent a repeat of the spectacular explosion that marred its first orbital test flight, regulators said Friday.
The 63 steps include “redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness”, additional testing of safety systems and more, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement after completing a months-long review.
SpaceX blew up the uncrewed rocket four minutes after it blasted off from the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20. Starship experienced multiple engine failures and its first-stage booster did not separate from the spacecraft above it.
The rocket disintegrated into a ball of fire that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, while a cloud of dust floated over a small town several kilometres (miles) away.
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SpaceX Starship, world’s largest rocket, explodes minutes after lift-off on first test flight
Musk immediately congratulated his SpaceX team on an “exciting” test launch and declared it a success because the company would gain valuable insights into what went wrong.
