The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intends to oversee the investigation to determine the causes of the recent crash of SpaceX's SN9 prototype. The objective will be to further secure the Starship test program which has just suffered its second explosion.
SpaceX's Starship prototype SN9 successfully launched on Tuesday, February 2 over southern Texas. After reaching an altitude of ten kilometers, the ship then began its descent before missing its landing. One of the [three] Raptor engines did not re-ignite. As a result, the Starship was unable to right itself upright, eventually suffering a "RUD", which SpaceX loosely means "rapid and unplanned disassembly". In short, an explosion.
The explosive crash of this prototype (the second in total) prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), piloted by Wayne Monteith, a reputable and hard to influence official, to oversee a incident investigation.
As a reminder, this agency is responsible for regulations and controls concerning civil aviation in the United States. In the case that interests us here, it is she who gives the green (or not) to SpaceX for the Starship test flights after having defined a "no-passage" zone around the take-off and landing site.
The news follows recent reports that SpaceX had violated federal security regulations during the clearance process for flight SN8 last December. SpaceX had indeed requested a waiver to exceed the maximum public risk allowed by federal security regulations. However, while the FAA denied the request, SpaceX proceeded with the flight anyway .
According to an FAA spokesperson, the purpose of this investigation will be to identify the root cause of the accident and explore possible opportunities to further improve the security as the program develops. "The FAA's top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is to ensure that operations are safe, even in the event of an anomaly “, said the agency in a press release.
It is indeed necessary to understand the agency which, as its guidelines specify, could be involved due to an accident during the launch or a landing of these prototypes . The FAA may also take some responsibility when payload damage exceeds $25,000.
Naturally, the immediate area around the Boca Chica test site is unoccupied during these tests. However, residential and commercial areas are only a few miles north in Port Isabel and South Padre Island. So, of course, the FAA is involved. Also, after two crashes, it seems normal that the agency wants to keep a close eye on SpaceX's Starship program.
