SpaceX said the explosion of the spacecraft last month was caused by a series of events caused by a leak of propellant.
SpaceFlight Company is still waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to officially close the “accident investigation” of the explosion or specifically allow SpaceX to run flights while the investigation continues.
In particular, SPACEX’s first disaster investigation was when CEO Elon Musk is active within the US government, with so-called government efficiency workers making active changes in the FAA. The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
January testing of SpaceX’s spacecraft has started well. The company wanted to test out many upgrades of the Super Heavy Booster, the Launch and Catch Tower, and the Starship itself. The heavy lift-rocket system fired without any problems and headed for space. The booster eventually separated and was caught in the tower back to the ground in Texas.
The problem began about two minutes after Starship set its own rocket engine on fire to get to orbit. In a blog post, the company wrote that “flashes were observed in the rear section of one nearby vehicle in the Raptor Vacuum Engine.” According to SpaceX, sensors mounted on sensor ships on board the ship have begun picking up pressure rise after a flash that “indicates a leak” of propellant.
Two minutes later another flash was seen, and SpaceX says a “persistent fire” began in that section of the spacecraft due to the leak. The fire “all but one of the Starship’s engines performed a controlled shutdown sequence, eventually losing communication with the ship.”
SpaceX says the leak is most likely caused by vibrations that exceeded what the company expected from testing. The automatic cancelation system ultimately caused the ship to destruction following a fire and communications power outage.
The explosion brought spectacular exhibits to the islands of Türkiye and Caicos, and also diverted many flights to avoid danger by the FAA. SpaceX claims that all the spacecraft’s debris “dead down within a pre-planned debris response area.” Residents posted photos of debris laundry on the beach, causing at least one vehicle to be hit and minor damage.
SpaceX sends fuel to Starship’s engine, fine-tunes the propellant temperature, adds additional vents and a “new purge system” to make the AFT section in question “more for propellant leaks.” They say they have changed the line to make it robust.
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