Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. violated the terms of its federal license to launch tests of the Starship spacecraft in December, a flight that ended with a fireball, according to a report.
It was unclear what part of the evidence violated the license, Virgo’s website said Friday in its article, citing anonymous sources. An investigation of setbacks by the The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has focused on SpaceX’s refusal to adhere to what the regulator authorized, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News, which confirmed the Virgin report . The person, who was not allowed to discuss the matter, asked for anonymity.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment made after Friday’s usual schedule.
Intensified regulatory control played a role in delaying testing of the prototype of the SpaceX SN-9 spacecraft this week, the Virgin reported. Musk expressed his frustration Thursday in a tweet, slamming the FAA for “a fundamentally broken regulatory structure.” The agency said Friday it would “evaluate additional information” from SpaceX as the company tries to modify its launch license.
The rocket company announced the launch of the SN-9.
The Starship SN-8 flew on December 9 with a successful ascent and a landing maneuver, remaining stable during the nearly seven-minute flight. But low pressure in a fuel tank caused the spacecraft to land too quickly, causing a fireball on touchdown.
“While we recognize the importance of moving quickly to foster growth and innovation in the retail space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety,” the FAA said in response to questions about the delay in launch of the SN-9. “We will approve the amendment only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements.”
The SpaceX stainless steel spacecraft is designed to be a versatile, fully reusable vessel that can carry 100 metric tons for deep space missions to the Moon and Mars and also serves as a point-to-point hypersonic vehicle to reduce travel times. through the Earth.