FAA closes investigation of January SpaceX Starship explosion

(Source: Cailen Rotz via Storyful)

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said it agreed with SpaceX's investigation into the explosion of a Starship rocket during a January test flight and closed its investigation.

The FAA said no one was injured in the explosion, but confirmed one report of minor vehicle damage.

The agency said SpaceX identified 11 corrective actions from the report before they attempted an eighth launch in March that also ended in failure.

Officials said they are also overseeing an investigation into that test flight, which happened on March 6.

SpaceX cannot launch another Starship flight until that mishap report is accepted or a return to flight determination has been made.

SpaceX Starship test flight 7, Jan. 16, 2025

The backstory:

The company made its seventh test flight of Starship and their Super Heavy rocket on Jan. 16, 2025.

After launch, the Starship successfully separated from the booster rocket, but started experiencing problems two minutes later when a flash was seen in the rear of the ship between the ship's liquid oxygen tank and heat shield. Two minutes after that, a fire started in that section, leading to engine shutdowns and eventually triggering the ship's safety system, which led to the ship breaking apart.

SpaceX Starship rocket breaks apart

A SpaceX Starship rocket broke apart shortly after launch on a test flight from south Texas on Thursday, January 16, causing airplanes to be diverted away from any potential falling debris. Footage via Storyful from Cailen Rotz shows the rocket's breakup over Turks and Caicos. (WARNING: Video contains profanity)

In a report issued by SpaceX, the company said the ship's safety system and "Flight Termination System" worked as they were intended when the ship exploded.

"The most probable root cause for the loss of ship was identified as a harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing, which led to increased stress on hardware in the propulsion system," SpaceX said. "The subsequent propellant leaks exceeded the venting capability of the ship’s attic area and resulted in sustained fires."

Improvements as a result of the investigation

Following the explosion, the FAA ordered SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation.

SpaceX officials said they conducted an "extended duration static fire" with the Starship they intend to use for its eighth test flight. They said they used multiple engine thrust levels and hardware configurations to recreate the vibration levels from the failed flight.

The results have led to a change in the fuel lines to the engines and adjustments to the fuel temperature.

The company is also making changes to the rear portion that caught on fire during the last launch by adding more vents and a new purge system.

SpaceX Starship test flight 8, March 6, 2025

SpaceX's eighth test flight of the Starship rocket ended in failure after the spacecraft lost several engines and ultimately lost control during ascent.

The launch initially succeeded in separating Starship from the Super Heavy booster. However, eight minutes into the flight, the spacecraft began losing altitude control. SpaceX engineers lost contact with the vehicle before the ascent phase was complete.

Several minutes later, reports and footage from social media appeared to show the Starship exploding off Florida's Atlantic Coast, which SpaceX described as "a rapid unscheduled disassembly," and contact was lost.

The mishap investigation into the flight remains open.

The Source: Information in this article comes from the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX and previous FOX 7 reporting.

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