- The prototype SN9 Starship exploded when it crashed, landing in Boca Chica, Texas, last Tuesday.
- According to reports, the FAA also investigated an unauthorized test launch in December.
- SpaceX hopes to send people in the Starship to Mars.
The Federal Aviation Administration is overseeing the crash of SpaceX’s prototype Starship SN9 rocket this week.
The rocket, a prototype of the ship that Elon Musk’s company hopes will one day transport people to Mars, underwent a high-altitude test flight on Tuesday.
The shiny stainless steel rocket reached a height of 10.2 miles as planned, but it could not recover as it descended and crashed into the ground and exploded.
It was the second crash of a Starship prototype in less than three months. The first crash on December 11, according to The Verge, also led to an investigation by the FAA.
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CNN was the first to report the latest investigation by the FAA, which regulates and licenses commercial space operations in the US
“The FAA’s top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is to ensure that operations are safe, even if there is a deviation,” a spokesman for the agency said in a statement to CNN. “The FAA will oversee the investigation into today’s landing accident with the SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype in Boca Chica, Texas. Although it was an unmanned test flight, the investigation will identify the cause of today’s crash and possible opportunities to further improve security as the program evolves. “
Tuesday’s launch was actually delayed by the FAA. SpaceX wanted to launch the SN9 (serial number 9) prototype on 28 January.
According to The Verge, SpaceX violated the terms of its FAA test license with the launch of the SN8 prototype on December 11th.
Reuters reported that SpaceX wanted to seek a waiver to exceed the maximum public risk allowed by federal security regulations. The FAA rejected the request, Reuters reports, but SpaceX continued the test, which ended when the rocket exploded while trying to land.
After the SN9 launch was delayed, Musk tweeted“Unlike its aircraft division, which is good, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure. Their rules are meant for a handful of expenses per year from some government facilities. According to these rules, humanity will never reach Mars. ”
In a statement Tuesday, an FAA spokesman said: “The FAA has required SpaceX to conduct an investigation into the incident, including a comprehensive review of the company’s safety culture, operational decision-making and process discipline. All tests conducted by the public safety at the Boca Chica launch site was suspended until the investigation was completed and the FAA approved the company’s corrective actions. ‘
This paved the way for Tuesday’s launch of the SN9 prototype.
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