The explosion of Starship, Elon Musk’s rocket that seeks to reach the Moon and Mars, forced the United States authorities to stop any type of testing. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration, for its acronym in English), will investigate the real reasons for the failure.
But Elon Musk he does not give up, and warns that it is a matter of months to try again.
The billionaire spoke about the explosion on April 20, which occurred over the Gulf of Mexico, in a Twitter Spaces. “(That it happened) was something that was more or less in line with what was expected,” Musk said. “Perhaps it slightly exceeded my expectations.”
“Obviously it wasn’t a complete success, but it was still a success.” cataloged the head of SpaceX.
The United States investigation into the explosion of Starship, Elon Musk’s rocket
The Starship rocket tried to make its first orbital flight, rising several meters, but it ended up exploding four minutes after takeoff.
Three Raptor engines of the Super Heavy booster were not “ready enough”, so he decided not to fire them, taking off with 30 engines, a minimum number. The explosion destroyed the heat shields of four engines.
The FAA reported that it will investigate the Starship incident, he said in a statement. “An anomaly occurred during the ascent and before the separation of the stage, which caused the loss of the vehicle,” the agency said. “No injuries have been reported, nor damage to public property.”
“This is standard practice for all mishap investigations,” with the objective of “protecting the public during launch and re-entry operations of commercial space transportation.”
Environmental groups sue the FAA over SpaceX
But not everything is there. According to Reuters, Environmental groups are suing the FAA over SpaceX’s launch license for Texas.
The legal move occurred this Monday, May 1. The groups indicate that the one on April 20 is the last of at least 9 explosive mishaps in Boca Chica, the SpaceX base, “disrupting a refuge for federally protected wildlife and a vital habitat for migratory birds.”
“Noise, light pollution, construction and road traffic also degrade the area, home to endangered ocelots and jaguarundis, as well as nesting sites for the endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and critical habitat for threatened shorebirds,” the lawsuit adds.
