SpaceX Starship explodes whilst attempting to land during test
SpaceX’s Starship prototype has towered over the launchpad at Boca Chica, South Texas, for a month now. Starship SN9 was due to follow in the footsteps of SN8 and attempt a 6.2 miles (10km) suborbital flight and landing this month. But the spacecraft’s maiden test flight keeps slipping through Elon Musks’s fingers and has been dogged by delays, test fire aborts and engine replacements.
When it finally looked as though Starship was cleared for launch last Thursday, January 28, US regulators stepped in to put a halt to the test flight.
The unexpected delay has sparked a war of words between Mr Musk and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
SpaceX fans have also vented their frustrations at the delay with one person tweeting: “The FAA admits they had no idea Starship was a rocket. This is the federal government at work.”
Another person said: “Let us hope this soap opera between Elon and the FAA will resolve itself soon, so we can get back to one of the most important projects in human history: making humanity a true space-faring species.
“Our hopes and dreams in that regard are riding entirely on Starship right now.”
We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.
Why hasn’t Starship SN9 launched yet?
Starship SN9’s maiden voyage was called off after the FAA claimed SpaceX has violated its launch license a month earlier with the launch of SN8.
The SN8 prototype launched from Boca Chica on a 7.8 miles (12.5km) hop and soft landing but failed to safely touch down back on the launchpad.
The rocket went up in a spectacular ball of flames when it crashed – something SpaceX had expected from the get-go.
Before the rocket took off, Mr Musk said there was a 2/3 probability SN8 would crash.
Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars
Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO
The FAA appears to have taken issue with the launchpad explosion with insiders claiming the regulatory body was looking into the mishap and several changes SpaceX has made to its launch license application.
The FAA issued a notice on Thursday, stating SN9’s launch was being scrubbed and pushed to Friday.
Further complicating matters, according to Irene Klotz of Aviation Week, there has also been some sort of breakdown in communication between SpaceX and the FAA, as she was told the aerospace company was not cleared for launch on Thursday.
She tweeted: “Bit more on the SN9 brouhaha today: Not sure where the miscommunication happened, but @spacex never had @faa authorization for flight test today. ‘There are outstanding safety issues that need to be resolved before the FAA will approve the next test flight.’ – FAA PAO Steve Kulm.”
DON’T MISS…
End of the world: Brian Cox’s warning about ‘heat death’ of Universe [INSIGHT]
SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk reveals render of floating oil rig platform [VIDEO]
Life after death: THIS is the process you will go through when you die [REPORT]
SpaceX perform 150m hop with Starship SN5
Without FAA approval, Starship will not be leaving the ground any time soon.
The FAA said: “While we recognize the importance of moving quickly to foster growth and innovation in commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety.
“We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements.”
Mr Musk responded to Thursday’s scrub with harsh criticism of the FAA.
He tweeted: “Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure.
“Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities.
“Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.”
SpaceX is developing the Starship for multi-planetary trips to the Moon, Mars and possibly beyond.
The spacecraft will be fully reusable and will launch atop of the Super Heavy booster rocket.
Source: Read Full Article
