\n<\/p>\n
The Federal Aviation Administration has concluded its review of SpaceX\u2019s investigation of the second Starship launch in November, with the regulator saying Monday that it accepted the \u201croot causes and 17 corrective actions\u201d identified by the company.<\/p>\n
While this means the investigation is now closed, SpaceX must implement all the corrective actions and apply for a modified launch license before it can fly Starship again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FAA is evaluating SpaceX\u2019s license modification request and expects SpaceX to submit additional required information before a final determination can be made,\u201d the regulator said in a statement Monday.<\/p>\n
SpaceX\u2019s second orbital flight test<\/span><\/a> of the nearly 400-foot-tall Starship rocket in November went farther than the first test by a huge margin: all 33 of the Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster powered on successfully and none failed in the course of the nearly three-minute ascent burn. The company also pulled off a spectacularly difficult \u201chot-stage separation\u201d for the first time, wherein the Starship upper stage lit up to push away from the booster.<\/p>\n But like the first test, which occurred last April<\/span><\/a>, it ended in a fiery explosion mid-air. When any rocket launch encounters catastrophic issues during flight, the FAA opens what\u2019s known as a \u201cmishap investigation\u201d \u2014 that\u2019s what\u2019s happened here. These are led by the company and reviewed by regulators, who must sign off on the analysis and ensure the corrective actions are actually implemented. After the first test, the FAA directed SpaceX to complete 63 corrective actions.<\/p>\n Per the FAA, the company ultimately identified seven changes to the booster and 10 to the Starship vehicle:<\/p>\n \u201cSeven booster corrective actions were identified, including redesigns of vehicle hardware to increase tank filtration and reduce slosh, updated thrust vector control system modelling, reevaluation of engine analyses based on OFT-2 data, and updated engine control algorithms. Ten Starship corrective actions were identified, including hardware redesigns to increase robustness and reduce complexity, hardware changes to reduce leaks, operational changes eliminating pre-second engine cutoff propellant dumps, flammability analysis updates, installation of additional fire protection, creation of analytical guidance, performance of transient load analysis, and modeling updates.\u201d<\/p>\n