Elon Musk's Starship launch halted after FAA cites 63 regulatory fixes

SpaceX, led by CEO Elon Musk, has been grappling with regulatory challenges following the mid-flight explosion of its Starship rocket during its April test launch, according to a report by Reuters.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted an investigation into the incident and identified “multiple root causes”. The administration listed 63 corrective actions that need to be taken by SpaceX before resuming launches.

The April test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy rocket had aimed to reach space for the first time. While the rocket had a successful lift off, it exploded mid-air roughly four minutes into the flight. This caused debris to scatter widely and a cloud of pulverised concrete to spread across the launch site.

Starship consists of a huge first-stage booster, called Super Heavy, and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship.

Now, the FAA has officially closed its investigation. The 63 regulatory fixes stated by them include hardware changes to prevent leaks and fires, reinforcement of the rocket’s launchpad to mitigate debris and sand dispersion, and upgrades to “safety critical systems.”

SpaceX has already taken steps to address these issues, including improving the flight termination system and enhancing the fire suppression apparatus onboard the Starship. However, the company must still obtain a modified FAA license for future Starship launches. The process itself entails a thorough review of factors affecting public safety, such as flight trajectory and accident probabilities.

While the exact timeline for the next Starship launch remains uncertain, Musk had announced his intentions to have the next test flight “in around two months” back in June, adding that the Starship’s blast meant that the test flight was successful.

Space X plans on using Starship for commercial satellite missions and to collaborate with NASA on lunar landings. The billionaire entrepreneur had, previously, said that he hopes to build an entire fleet of Starship rockets in order to transport people and cargo across the Solar System.

After the April launch, concerns about environmental impacts, including debris and concrete fragments, near SpaceX’s Boca Chica launch site were also raised. The company has since taken steps to reinforce the launchpad and install additional safety measures to mitigate these issues.

Following the incident and coinciding with low performance of Musk’s other ventures including Tesla and newly-acquired Twitter (renamed X), Musk’s wealth took a nosedive in late April, losing more than $12 billion in just a day.

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