


The Federal Aviation Administration grounded a SpaceX rocket on Friday after an explosion in April and outlined 63 corrective actions that are necessary before it can be cleared for another test flight.
The FAA concluded its investigation into April's explosion, found multiple causes for the explosion that occurred midflight, and noted 63 corrective actions "SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence.”
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Those corrective actions include: “Redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical systems and components including the Autonomous Flight Safety System, and the application of additional change control practices," the FAA told CNBC in an email.
The agency oversaw the investigation into the explosion, but NASA and the National Transportation Safety Board were official observers. The final report will not be made public because of sensitive data included in it, such as information on United States export control.
SpaceX will need to make all the changes that are necessary to public safety and receive a “license modification from the FAA” that addresses all of the safety and other environmental regulatory requirements that were mandated by the agency. If it meets these requirements, it can resume all Starship Super Heavy rocket launches out of its Boca Chica facility in Texas.
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The spaceship exploded four minutes after its launch on April 20. The explosion occurred above the Gulf of Mexico, failing to achieve its ambitious goals. However, the explosion was only described as "a setback for Elon Musk and SpaceX, but not a fatal one."
Elon Musk, who owns and co-founded SpaceX, characterized the launch and subsequent explosion as a learning experience, noting that they learned a lot for the next launch. But it is not clear when the ship will be cleared for its next test flight.