The second test flight of Starship could fall out sooner rather than afterwards , with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claim that slews of FAA - requested corrective actions have already been implement .
Muskannouncedon September 10 via X , formerly Twitter , that SpaceX has “ completed & documented the 57 items required by the FAA for Flight 2 of spaceship . ” The declaration arrive just two days after a directive from the Federal Aviation Administrationinstructing SpaceX to address 63 disciplinal actionsbefore being yield a launch license for the next Starship trajectory .
Congrats to SpaceX for nail & documented the 57 items required by the FAA for Flight 2 of spaceship !
Starship at the launch mount in Boca Chica, Texas.Photo: SpaceX
Worth noting that 6 of the 63 item refer to later flights.pic.twitter.com/YlPg3ywCZE
— Elon Musk ( @elonmusk)September 10 , 2023
That SpaceX was so quick able to relieve these detail is hardly a surprise collapse that the company participated in the investigating and helped to devise the extenuation plan ( with the FAA , NASA , and the National Transportation Safety Board also taking part and superintend the probe ) , and given SpaceX ’s desire to get Starship fly as presently as possible .
Of the 63 item , Musk clear up that six pertain to subsequent flights of the in - exploitation megarocket ( we ’ll have to hold off and see if the FAA gibe ; some of these items relate to the reliability of Raptor engines , including improve intention to the atomic number 8 valve and spicy manifold ) . While Musk has publicly announced this progress on social media , the final appraisal of the addressed task rests with the FAA . Indeed , while the 400 - groundwork - magniloquent ( 122 - meter - tall ) projectile , latterly assembled , stand poised for its second flight , it still awaits the FAA ’s go - ahead . The federal regulator emphasized that completing the investigation does n’t guarantee immediate favorable reception for subsequent launches from Boca Chica , Texas .
Starship ’s inaugural launching on April 20 , during which the rocket flew for roughly four minutes before tumbling and exploding over the Gulf of Mexico , endured several setbacks , including significant terms to the launch mount , far-flung debris , disruptions to the local wildlife , the inability of its two point to separate as planned , and a misfunction self - destruct sequence . While Musk ’s aerospace caller qualify the demo as a winner owe to the vital data point gathered on the rocket ’s performance , both SpaceX and the FAA highlight the need for multiple disciplinary action .
To that goal , the aerospace companionship undertake a serial publication of change , include a redesign of vehicle hardware to prevent leak and fires . The launch pad get far-famed upgrade , like steel reinforcements and a new water deluge system to withstand the military force from Starship ’s 33 Raptor locomotive engine . These enhancement , coupled with other disciplinal measures , will presumably undergo further examination by the FAA .
Musk ’s tweet on September 10 further elucidated the corrective actions he claim have been completed . Some of the items listed included the improver of over 90 cameras to detect booster leakage , better tank detection , strong booster bolts , backup wires , added insulant , more methane sensing element , increase examination on making water checks , trajectory safety system conception advance , and a change to the Raptor railway locomotive shutdown logic , among others . More intricate specifics of the mishap investigation report stay on confidential due to the presence of proprietary data and U.S. export control regulations ( i.e. to prevent U.S. adversary from advance access to this sensitive technical info ) .
The goals of the second Starship flight will repeat those of the first , with SpaceX aim to send the vehicle ’s upper stage on a partial orbit around Earth , and a subsequent splashdown near Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean .
SpaceX ’s spaceship is designed as a fully reusable spacecraft intended for a wide reach of military mission , from deploy satellites , shipping loading , and land on the Moon and Mars . The company is currently working under multiple NASA contracts , involve SpaceX to demonstrate Starship as a viable human landing arrangement for the infinite authority ’s upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon .
desire to know more about Elon Musk ’s blank venture ? Check out our full coverage ofSpaceX ’s Starship megarocketand theSpaceX Starlink cyberspace planet megaconstellation . And for more spaceflight in your life-time , abide by us onX(formerly Twitter ) and bookmark Gizmodo ’s dedicatedSpaceflight page .
Boca ChicaElon MuskSPACEXSpaceX StarshipStarlinkX ( Twitter )
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