The Federal Aviation Administration has concluded its overview of SpaceX’s investigation of the second Starship launch in November, with the regulator saying Monday that it accepted the “root causes and 17 corrective actions” recognized by the corporate.

Whereas this implies the investigation is now closed, SpaceX should implement all of the corrective actions and apply for a modified launch license earlier than it may possibly fly Starship once more.

“The FAA is evaluating SpaceX’s license modification request and expects SpaceX to submit further required info earlier than a ultimate willpower might be made,” the regulator stated in an announcement Monday.

SpaceX’s second orbital flight check of the almost 400-foot-tall Starship rocket in November went farther than the primary check by an enormous margin: all 33 of the Raptor engines on the Tremendous Heavy booster powered on efficiently and none failed in the middle of the almost three-minute ascent burn. The corporate additionally pulled off a spectacularly troublesome “hot-stage separation” for the primary time, whereby the Starship higher stage lit as much as push away from the booster.

However like the primary check, which occurred final April, it resulted in a fiery explosion mid-air. When any rocket launch encounters catastrophic points throughout flight, the FAA opens what’s generally known as a “mishap investigation” — that’s what’s occurred right here. These are led by the corporate and reviewed by regulators, who should log out on the evaluation and make sure the corrective actions are literally carried out. After the primary check, the FAA directed SpaceX to finish 63 corrective actions.

Per the FAA, the corporate finally recognized seven adjustments to the booster and 10 to the Starship automobile:

“Seven booster corrective actions had been recognized, together with redesigns of auto {hardware} to extend tank filtration and scale back slosh, up to date thrust vector management system modelling, reevaluation of engine analyses primarily based on OFT-2 knowledge, and up to date engine management algorithms. Ten Starship corrective actions had been recognized, together with {hardware} redesigns to extend robustness and scale back complexity, {hardware} adjustments to scale back leaks, operational adjustments eliminating pre-second engine cutoff propellant dumps, flammability evaluation updates, set up of further fireplace safety, creation of analytical steering, efficiency of transient load evaluation, and modeling updates.”

In an replace additionally printed Monday, SpaceX demystified a few of these corrective actions in a uncommon post-launch postmortem, with the corporate noting that the seemingly root reason for the booster’s “fast unscheduled disassembly” — aerospace lingo for “explosion” — was a filter blockage in one of many Raptor engines. This engine failed “energetically,” the corporate stated, which led to a complete lack of the booster.

The Starship higher stage met its personal finish round seven minutes into the flight, when a propellant leak began a hearth that severed communication between the spacecraft’s onboard computer systems. This led to an engine shutdown, which then triggered the autonomous flight termination system to destroy the automobile.

A few of these {hardware} adjustments and design upgrades have already been launched to the variations of the automobile that can fly for the third orbital flight check, SpaceX stated within the replace. Firm CEO Elon Musk stated throughout a dialog on his social media platform, X, that mission might happen as quickly because the second week of March.

“Extra Starships are able to fly, placing flight {hardware} in a flight setting to study as rapidly as potential. Recursive enchancment is important as we work to construct a completely reusable launch system able to carrying satellites, payloads, crew, and cargo to quite a lot of orbits and Earth, lunar, or Martian touchdown websites,” SpaceX stated within the replace.

In the end, SpaceX is aiming to finish the total mission profile, which incorporates the Tremendous Heavy booster finishing a “enhance again burn” and executing a managed splashdown within the Gulf of Mexico. Starship would then fly midway world wide and land within the Pacific Ocean.