Musk's SpaceX violated its launch license in explosive Starship test: the Verge

 

SpaceX's first super heavy-lift Starship SN8 rocket explodes during a return-landing attempt after it launched from their facility on a test flight in Boca Chica, Texas U.S. December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Gene Blevins/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - SpaceX's first high-altitude test flight of its Starship rocket, which exploded last month while attempting to land after an otherwise successful test launch, violated the terms of its Federal Aviation Administration test license, the Verge reported on Friday, citing sources.

 

An investigation was opened that week focusing on the explosive landing and on SpaceX's refusal to stick to the terms of what the FAA authorized, the Verge said. https://bit.ly/3cnBeGN

 

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

The Starship rocket destroyed in the accident was a 16-storey-tall prototype for the heavy-lift launch vehicle being developed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's private space company to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.

 

The self-guided rocket blew up as it touched down on a landing pad following a controlled descent. The test flight had been intended to reach an altitude of 41,000 feet, propelled by three of SpaceX's newly developed Raptor engines for the first time.

 

But the company left unclear whether the rocket had flown that high.

 

The FAA said it would evaluate additional information provided by SpaceX as part of its application to modify its launch license.

 

"We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements," it said in a statement.

 

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-30

 

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5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

An investigation was opened that week focusing on the explosive landing and on SpaceX's refusal to stick to the terms of what the FAA authorized

"It was unclear what part of the test flight violated the FAA license, and an FAA spokesman declined to specify in a statement to The Verge."  (ref. www.theverge.com/2021/1/29)

 

TRANSLATION?

No idea.

FAA is somehow upset with Elon's aggressive rocket development and looking to slowdown SpaceX rocket development, ie., he's getting too far ahead of NASA government sponsored competitors or acting like a rogue company? 

This seems like a policeman giving you a ticket for an unspecified violation, to be determined by an investigation. 

 

 

Soooo they are saying that they were not licenced to explode the rocket on landing therefore they will have to include this "performance objective" on their next application.... and what will be the punishment if they land it without exploding?? It's all very strange!

I'm waiting for Scott Manley and Tim Dodd to weigh in on this - check their YouTube channels. 

 

SpaceX has had to scrub SN9's launch twice due to the FAA.  Ridiculous.

I cannot understand why he would spend  the kind of money that 50 of us could retire in comfort with, knowing that once done the Govt will just take it over

Elon has said something about look at Boeing and the  faa then space x and fast. 

I can’t wait to fly with spacex... with a new generation trump wanabe in charge, what could go wrong ?