SpaceX in turmoil: the flight of its Starship megarocket suspended by the American regulator after a spectacular explosion. An investigation was opened and debris found in the Caribbean. Elon Musk remains confident despite this setback for his ambitious space project…
Elon Musk’s space project has just suffered a serious setback. On Friday, the US aviation regulator, the FAA, suspended flights of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket following its spectacular explosion the day before over the Caribbean. An investigation has been opened and the company must now propose corrective measures in order to hope to resume its tests.
An “unscheduled rapid disassembly”
It was during its 7th test flight on Thursday that things went wrong for the largest rocket ever built. If SpaceX managed to catch up with its first stage for the second time, a complex and risky maneuverthe second stage ended up in pieces above the Caribbean waters. A spectacular failure that Elon Musk ironically described as “unplanned rapid disassembly”.
According to images circulating on social networks, light trails of debris were seen from the Turks and Caicos Islands. No injuries were reported but the FAA says it is working with local authorities to assess the extent of the material damage.
An oxygen/fuel leak likely triggered the explosion
– Elon Musk, on the site X (ex-Twitter)
A risky method that has proven itself
Known for its high-risk tests, SpaceX has a history of using failures to rapidly improve its spacecraft. A method that allowed it to get a head start on competition like Blue Origin, which successfully carried out its first orbital flight the same day.
-But this strategy could backfire on Elon Musk’s company. The FAA now requires a thorough investigation and “corrective measures” before any resumption of flights. SpaceX will have to demonstrate that it has taken sufficient precautions to ensure the safety of the public.
A hard blow for Martian and lunar ambitions
This incident comes at a bad time for SpaceX which was counting on Starship for reach Mars in the coming years. NASA was also banking on a modified version of the rocket for its future Artemis lunar missions. Ambitious projects which could be delayed if reliability problems persist.
Despite this new setback, Elon Musk is confident and promises that lessons learned will improve Starship. The wealthy entrepreneur, who has become a close supporter of Donald Trump, will have to redouble his efforts to convince regulators and reassure the public about the safety of his space flights.
The space race between billionaires is experiencing a new twist with this suspension which indirectly benefits Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin. But SpaceX has already demonstrated its ability to bounce back after resounding failures. Elon Musk will once again stake his reputation and the credibility of his company on the upcoming Starship tests, under increased surveillance by the authorities.
The future of private space conquest perhaps plays out in how SpaceX will manage this crisis and learn from its mistakes. Because beyond the race for prestige between billionaires, it is humanity’s capacity to push back the frontiers of the cosmos that is at stake, one step after another, with its successes as well as its spectacular failures.
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