BOCA CHICA (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its investigation into the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy rocket explosion and has ordered Elon Musk’s company to make dozens of changes.
The rocket exploded over the southern Texas city of Boca Chica near Brownsville on April 20, 2023.
The FAA’s final report cites several root causes for the disaster and ordered the company to make 63 corrective actions to prevent another explosion.
Some of the corrections include “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 and the application of additional change control practices.”
The rocket is currently grounded at the Boca Chica launch site. In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Musk said the Starship Super Heavy is ready for launch.
However, the FAA has not given the green light for the next lift off. In order to be cleared, the FAA said SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive its license modification that address all safety, environmental and other necessary regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch.
The Starship test flight explosion flung debris into nearby tanks and other equipment, left a crater in the ground, impacted endangered wildlife habitat and sparked a 4-acre fire on state park land.
The disaster prompted some cultural heritage and environmental nonprofits to sue the FAA, arguing that the agency failed to conduct a proper environmental review before giving SpaceX the green light. SpaceX became a co-defendant in the case.
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