WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has denied entrepreneur Elon Musk permission to resume Starship spacecraft launches until the causes of the April accident are fixed.
This week, Musk said that the Starship, designed for deep space exploration, is ready for a new launch from a pad in Boca Chica on the Texas coast and is awaiting regulatory approval.
The FAA said it had completed an investigation into the April 20 accident in which a Starship, along with a Super Heavy booster, minutes after start went into uncontrolled rotation and collapsed.
“The completion of the incident investigation does not mean the immediate resumption of Starship launches in Boca Chica. SpaceX must implement all corrective actions significant to public safety, apply for and obtain a modified license from the FAA,” the statement said.
The regulator said the investigation identified “multiple causes” of the accident and identified 63 “corrective actions” for Musk's SpaceX company to avoid recurrence.
