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SpaceX’s first high-altitude test flight of its Starship rocket, which was successfully launched but exploded in a botched landing attempt in December, violated the terms of its Federal test license Aviation Administration, according to two people familiar with the incident. The landing blast and license violation prompted an official FAA investigation, prompting regulators to closely monitor Elon Musk’s hasty Mars rocket testing campaign.
Musk hailed the December launch of the prototype “Serial Number 8” spacecraft at SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, as a success: “Mars, here we are !!” The CEO tweeted moments after the rocket exploded as it landed, celebrating SN8’s successful ascent to 8 miles high with its supporters. The FAA, which oversees ground safety and issues licenses for private launches, was not so happy.
The investigation into the so-called mishap was opened that week, focusing not only on the explosive landing, but on SpaceX’s refusal to stick to the terms of what the FAA has authorized, said. the two people. It is not known which part of the test flight violated the FAA license, and an FAA spokesperson declined to elaborate in a statement to The edge.
“The FAA will continue to work with SpaceX to assess additional information provided by the company as part of its launch license amendment request,” FAA spokesman Steve Kulm said on Friday. “While we recognize the importance of acting quickly to foster growth and innovation in the commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety. We will only approve the change when we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements. “
The regulators’ extensive scrutiny after the launch pad show played a role in the delay of the latest attempt to test SpaceX’s “SN9” spacecraft, which the company said would take place on Thursday. The 16-stage shiny steel alloy rocket was loaded with fuel and ready to fly. But at the time, FAA officials were still reviewing the license for testing due to several changes SpaceX made to its license application, a source said. Musk, frustrated with the process, took to Twitter.
“Unlike its aerospace division, which is good, the FAA’s space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure,” he tweeted on Thursday. “Their rules are intended for a handful of consumable launches per year from a few government facilities. According to these rules, humanity will never reach Mars. “
The license violation (and the license review process that followed) escalated tensions between SpaceX and the world’s largest transport agency. For years, Musk and others in the space industry have bemoaned the age-old US regulatory framework for launch licenses, as innovation and competition in space skyrocket. In response, the U.S. Department of Transportation – which delegates its launch oversight functions to the FAA – unveiled new, streamlined launch licensing regulations last year. They have not yet entered into force.
In the meantime, Musk’s tweet, calling out the FAA to its 44 million subscribers, was the latest incarnation of the billionaire’s disgruntled attitude toward regulators who are handling the rapid rate of development of his businesses.
SpaceX, founded by Musk in 2002, has sued the Air Force twice, once successfully in 2014 for the right to compete for Pentagon launches, and another unsuccessfully in 2018 for losing competitive development funds. for Starship and the company’s other rockets. In 2018, when he was fined $ 20 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly deceiving Tesla investors via Twitter, Musk said. 60 minutes, “I don’t respect the SEC. I don’t respect them.
Hours before the SN8 Starship test in December, when Musk was in Boca Chica to seek approval for the FAA license that SpaceX ultimately violated, he was asked in a virtual interview with The Wall Street Journal what role government should play in regulating innovation. Musk replied, “Most of the time the best thing the government can do is just step aside.”
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