FAA: Starship Mishap Investigation Complete, But No Flight Approval Yet

The FAA announced today that its investigation into what went wrong on the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket in April is done. SpaceX is ready to try again, but needs regulatory approval from the FAA and that was not forthcoming today. Instead the FAA said the company needs to implement 63 corrective actions and apply for a license modification.

Elon Musk is eager to get Starship up and operating. The Super Heavy first stage and Starship second stage for the second Orbital Flight Test, OFT-2, are already on the launch pad at Starbase in Boca Chica, TX and ready to go.

Fully stacked Starship on the launch pad at Starbase pic.twitter.com/cebFZEVrJZ

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 6, 2023

Musk hoped to launch this week, but the FAA only sent SpaceX the letter announcing completion of its investigation yesterday and it requires 63 corrective actions. They include:

“… actions to address redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical systems and components including the Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS), and the application of additional change control practices.”

Furthermore, the orginal license was for only one flight. SpaceX must apply for a license modification for additional test flights and must demonstrate it implemented the corrective actions.

The mishap investigation report is not publicly available because it contains proprietary information. All that is known publicly is what’s in FAA’s letter to SpaceX yesterday and an emailed statement to the media this morning.

The FAA’s letter added that while it is closing the investigation, it will not “predetermine the results of any ongoing or future environmental reviews associated with Starship operations at Boca Chica.”

Several environmental groups are suing the FAA for not adequately executing their environmental review responsibilities before granting the license for the April 20 launch.

That launch pulverized the concrete pad underneath the rocket, spewing dust and debris high into the air and over the nearby town of Port Isabel, as well as starting a fire and sending chunks of cement into protected natural habitats. SpaceX has been strongly criticized for not building a flame trench and/or water deluge system under the rocket as is typically done.

Liftoff from Starbase pic.twitter.com/rgpc2XO7Z9

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023

The 120-meter (394-foot) tall, 9 meter (29.5 feet) diameter rocket exploded about 4 minutes after launch over the Gulf of Mexico after it began tumbling. The autonomous self-destruct system did not work as planned, but eventually did destroy the combined first and second stages, which failed to separate.

SpaceX has redesigned the launch pad and how the two stages separate.

Starship is the largest rocket ever built, with 33 first stage engines and six on the second stage. The first stage is called “Super Heavy” and the second stage “Starship,” but the combination of the two also is referred to as Starship.

Musk plans for Starship to be the workhorse rocket of the future sending satellites to Earth orbit and spacecraft and humans to the Moon and Mars. He envisions millions of people living and working on Mars in part to ensure the survival of the human species if a natural or human-made catastrophe destroys Earth.

The Moon will be first, though.  Musk already has private customers paying to fly around the Moon and NASA selected Starship as the Human Landing System (HLS) to put NASA astronauts back on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program. The first landing mission, Artemis III, is currently scheduled for the end of 2025. Few expect NASA to meet that date and many wonder if Starship HLS will be ready even by 2026, but the first step will be a successful Orbital Flight Test.