Elon Musk’s Starship to remain grounded for safety improvements

• The Super Heavy/Starship generates 16 million pounds, double NASA’s SLS thrust.
• A single Super Heavy/Starship test launch self-destructed after liftoff in April.
• Elon Musk’s company prepares for a second test flight with unspecified details.

SpaceX’s Starship, designed by tech mogul Elon Musk, won’t take off until the company ensures no repeat of the April malfunction by implementing corrective measures.

Following an extensive months-long investigation into the April explosion, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in a statement that “63 steps include redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, additional testing of safety systems, and more.”

The Super Heavy/Starship boasts double the power of NASA’s SLS, producing a remarkable 16 million pounds of thrust at liftoff thanks to its 33 in-house Raptor engines.

With the Artemis III mission drawing near, SpaceX has seen just one combined Super Heavy/Starship rocket launch. Unfortunately, it self-destructed shortly after liftoff on April 20 from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Elon Musk‘s company began preparations for the second test flight, although the details remained unclear.

The Starship encountered several engine failures, and its first-stage booster failed to detach from the spacecraft above it.

The rocket disintegrated into a fiery ball, ultimately crashing into the Gulf of Mexico, with a cloud of dust drifting over a small town located several miles (kilometers) away.

Right after the test launch, Musk promptly praised his SpaceX team for an ‘exciting’ mission and deemed it a success, emphasizing that the company would glean valuable insights into the issues encountered.

On the other hand, the FAA promptly initiated an investigation, while environmental conservation organizations revealed their intention to file a lawsuit against the regulatory body, citing inadequate protection of the environment due to the rocket’s close proximity to a crucial habitat for protected species.

Although the investigation has concluded, “the closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica,” said the FAA.

“SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental, and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch,” it added.

According to promotional material shared by SpaceX on X (formerly known as Twitter), a new Starship is currently poised on the launchpad.

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

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 6, 2023

In a statement, the company restated its view that the initial test represented a crucial stride in enhancing the capabilities of the most potent launch system ever created. Furthermore, it emphasized that this test yielded valuable insights, directly informing multiple enhancements to both the vehicle and ground infrastructure.

The Starship, towering at 394 feet (120 meters) in height, generates an astonishing 16.7 million pounds (74.3 meganewtons) of thrust, surpassing the thrust of the Saturn V rockets used to transport Apollo astronauts to the Moon by more than double.

SpaceX envisions it as a next-generation, completely reusable spacecraft designed to eventually transport both astronauts and cargo to Mars.

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NASA has engaged a variant of Starship to serve as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, with the goal of returning astronauts to the Moon by the mid-2020s.

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