FAA Closes Investigation Into SpaceX Starship Explosion

The FAA has closed its investigation into SpaceX’s Starship rocket mishap and agreed on new procedures for future flights.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 03:46 PM ET

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SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy booster positioned on the launchpad ahead of the April 2023 test flight. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has closed its mishap investigation into SpaceX's November 18 Starship explosion and agreed on new procedures for future flights.
SpaceX identified the Super Heavy booster's failure as a filter blockage in its liquid oxygen supply.
The Starship upper stage failed due to a liquid oxygen vent leak that caused combustion and communication loss, triggering its flight termination system.
SpaceX must implement 17 corrective actions, including hardware redesigns and operational changes, and secure a license modification from the FAA before its next launch.

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The FAA this week closed its mishap investigation into the explosion of SpaceX’s Starship rocket and agreed with the company on new procedures for future flights.

SpaceX launched Starship on November 18 and reached space before the vehicle’s upper stage was destroyed by an automated internal system just minutes into the test flight. The nearly 400-foot rocket reached space after launching from Texas with no one on board. The FAA launched its investigation after the explosion and shared Monday that the agency accepted SpaceX’s explanation of what went awry.

Brinley Hineman

Brinley Hineman covers general assignment news. She previously worked for the USA TODAY Network, Newsday and The Messenger. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and is from West Virginia. She lives in Brooklyn with her poodle Franklin.