SpaceX Ends Accident Investigation On 9th Starship Flying Test

The investigation into the Starship accident ended (photo: X @SpaceX)

JAKARTA SpaceX has finished investigating the ninth cause of the Starship flight test accident. With the end of this investigation, the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) officially closed its investigation.

Now, SpaceX has been allowed to prepare for its 10th Starship test flight. If there are no obstacles, starting from the launch pad to the readiness of its rockets and planes, Starship flight tests will be carried out on weekends.

Previously, Starship was investigated for an accident that occurred on 27 May. In the test flight, SpaceX lost its Super Heavy driver and the upper stage of the plane. In the results of the investigation, it is known that this accident occurred due to structural problems.

The investigation also included incidents that occurred at separate times, namely the explosion on June 18 at the Starbase land test site. This incident destroyed the ship 36 along with the surrounding infrastructure.

In the 9th test flight, the Super Heavy booster managed to break away from Starship, but exploded on his return to Earth. SpaceX says that the increasing force as it descends has damaged the internal propellant path, triggering fuel.

Therefore, an explosion occurs. To address this problem, SpaceX will reduce the angle of attack to reduce pressure on the booster during the decline. They also plan to modify Super Heavy with a redesigned lattice fin.

Meanwhile, the top stage of the rocket, known as Ship 35, also failed. Sensors detected a methane leak that interfered with aircraft control and prevented a planned maneuver test.

After detailing the results of his investigation, SpaceX is still optimistic about Starship's standoff. The company owned by Elon Musk said that these various problems would make Starship much better because the shortcomings would be improved.

"Every lesson learned, both through flight tests and ground tests, continues to be a direct input for the next generation Starship and Super Heavy designs," SpaceX said, quoted on Tuesday, August 19.