The news
The next giant Starship rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX is standing on the launch pad in South Texas. But the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that the company must take “corrective actions” before it issues a launch license for the second flight.
A Number That Sums It Up: 63 corrections needed.
The first Starship test flight took off successfully on April 20. Minutes later, it began to lose control and then ended in an explosion caused by its flight termination system, designed to prevent out-of-control crashes that rocket. in a populated area. The rocket reached an altitude of 24 miles above the Gulf of Mexico, far from reaching orbit, although SpaceX employees popped champagne in celebration of what the flight had accomplished.
In a post on its website on FridaySpaceX described the problems.
“During ascent, the vehicle caught fire from a propellant leak in the rear of the Super Heavy booster, which eventually severed the connection to the vehicle’s main flight computer,” the SpaceX update said. “This caused a loss of communications with most of the booster engines and, ultimately, control of the vehicle.”
The launch also caused extensive damage to the launchpad, blasting pieces of concrete into surrounding areas and kicking up clouds of debris that reached a small town six miles from the launch site.
The FAA said the 63 corrective actions described in the final investigation report included redesigning the rocket to prevent leaks and fires and additional evaluation and testing of safety systems including the flight termination system.
It also calls for improvements to the launchpad. SpaceX spent months adding a large steel plate and a water-delube system to reduce liftoff damage.
The investigation report is not being released publicly because it includes proprietary information owned by SpaceX as well as data restricted by United States export controls, the FAA said.
None of the 63 corrections will come as a surprise to SpaceX because the company has conducted an investigation, determining the causes of the failures that occurred in the April launch and what needs to be fixed. The FAA reviewed SpaceX’s report and agreed with the company’s findings and closed the investigation.
What It Looks Like: Watch the final launch in 2 videos.
SpaceX video captured the liftoff of the massive rocket and the moment when the rocket began to tumble out of control before it exploded.
Other footage showed the scale of the dirt and debris cloud kicked up by the launch.
Background: Musk’s moon and Mars rocket quest.
The Starship, which sits atop the SuperHeavy booster stage, is the largest rocket ever built, a key piece for Mr. Musk to set up a colony on Mars. The rocket is designed to be fully reusable. The booster, after providing thrust for the first few minutes of flight, then crashes and lands on the launchpad. The upper section of the Starship continues in orbit. It can also return to Earth, floating through the atmosphere before pivoting to a vertical orientation for landing.
As part of its Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon, NASA hired SpaceX to develop a version of the Starship to carry its astronauts from lunar orbit to the lunar surface. The first moon landing, during the Artemis III mission, is currently scheduled for late December 2025. But that schedule will almost certainly slip. SpaceX first needs to perform an uncrewed demonstration landing.
What’s Next: Another test flight of the giant rocket.
On Tuesday, Mr. Musk on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter that he owns, “Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval.”
The closure of the April launch investigation does not mean the next launch is imminent, the FAA said.
“SpaceX must implement all corrective actions affecting public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that meets all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory requirements before the next Starship launch,” the agency said.
Environment groups have sued the FAA calls for a wider analysis of the effects of the Starship launch. The case is still in its preliminary stages.
SpaceX has not set a target date for the second launch.
