An investigation was opened that week specializing in the explosive touchdown and on SpaceX‘s refusal to stay to the phrases of what the FAA licensed, the Verge mentioned.
SpaceX didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The Starship rocket destroyed within the accident was a 16-storey-tall prototype for the heavy-lift launch automobile being developed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk‘s non-public area firm to hold people and 100 tons of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.
The self-guided rocket blew up because it touched down on a touchdown pad following a managed descent. The check flight had been meant to succeed in an altitude of 41,000 ft, propelled by three of SpaceX’s newly developed Raptor engines for the primary time.
However the firm left unclear whether or not the rocket had flown that top.
The FAA mentioned it could consider extra data supplied by SpaceX as a part of its software to change its launch license.
“We are going to approve the modification solely after we’re happy that SpaceX has taken the mandatory steps to adjust to regulatory necessities,” it mentioned in a press release.