FAA Closes Investigation into SpaceX’s Starship Flight as the Company Seeks Next Launch License
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the conclusion of its investigation into SpaceX’s second Starship flight. This development comes as Elon Musk’s company seeks a license for its next launch of the towering rocket. The FAA supervised the investigation, which was led by SpaceX itself.
The Starship prototype reached space during its launch on November 18th, 2023, but was intentionally destroyed due to a rocket problem. SpaceX has identified 17 corrective actions that need to be implemented before the next launch. The FAA is currently evaluating the license modification request and expects SpaceX to provide additional necessary information for a final determination.
SpaceX has already addressed some of the issues that caused the second Starship launch to end prematurely. During the flight, several engines began shutting down, leading to one engine failure. A leak in the rear of the spacecraft resulted in a combustion event and subsequent fires, cutting off the connection between the spacecraft’s flight computers and shutting down its engines. As a safety measure, the rocket’s flight termination system was triggered.
The company has made changes to upcoming Starship vehicles to resolve these issues and has planned upgrades for the booster and Starship prototypes for the third test flight. Compared to the first Starship flight, the corrective actions following the second flight show significant improvement, reducing the required number from 63 to 17.
Elon Musk stated in a recent social media discussion that SpaceX is aiming to launch the third Starship test flight as early as mid-March. However, shortly after the November launch, Musk mentioned that the rocket for the third flight would be ready to go in three to four weeks. The next launch is pending regulatory approval of a license.
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