SpaceX to launch its Starship rocket on test flight after prior explosion

SpaceX plans to launch its Starship megarocket on its next test flight on Monday. The vehicle’s upper stage exploded over the Atlantic Ocean during the last such test.

SpaceX plans to launch its Starship megarocket on its next test flight on Monday, roughly six weeks after the vehicle’s upper stage blew up over the Atlantic Ocean during the last such test.

In that mishap on Jan. 16, SpaceX lost communication with Starship about eight minutes into the flight, and the vehicle’s subsequent explosion sent debris streaking through the sky. Dust and small pieces rained over parts of Turks and Caicos, but local authorities said there were no injuries.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation after the accident and grounded the rocket during the probe. On Friday, the agency cleared Starship to return to flight but said its investigation remains open.

SpaceX’s own investigation found that the likely root cause was leaking propellant in a section of Starship known as the “attic,” which is located between the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank and the rear heat shield.

The leak likely sparked “sustained fires” that eventually caused “all but one of Starship’s engines to execute controlled shut down sequences,” SpaceX said in an update on Monday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-launch-starship-rocket-after-explosion-rcna193548

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