The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is not pleased with SpaceX's launch.
The government agency recently announced it had launched a mishap investigation on SpaceX for allegedly spreading potentially hazardous material on homes and wild animals' natural habitats.
SpaceX is prohibited from launching its Starship spacecraft until the FAA has concluded its investigation on the matter.
FAA SpaceX Mishap Investigation Details
Workers in a lift (L) prepare the SpaceX Starship after sunset ahead of its scheduled launch from the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on April 18, 2023.
SpaceX's Starship mega rocket is a big one; dubbed as the most powerful rocket in the world per CNN, it comprises several parts that made it as high as 394 ft. and 2.5 ft. wide, making it capable of carrying enough fuel to carry 100 to 150 tons of payload, per SpaceX's official website.
Unfortunately, some of the materials that originated from the launch site spread for miles during and after Starship's first launch. According to a CNBC report, the primary concern of residents and researchers around the rocket's launch site was the large amount of sand- and ash-like particulate matter and heavier debris, which spread far beyond the launch's expected debris field.
While there were no injuries or public property damaged during the rocket's ill-fated launch, the FAA grounded the launching of SpaceX's Starship mega rockets until after it concluded its mishap investigation due to debris' spread far beyond the expected area.
According to Space.com's report, dust and debris from the launch allegedly rained down on residents in Port Isabel, Texas, and across Boca Chica's beaches, which are nesting grounds for endangered animals such as birds and sea turtles. For context, Port Isabel is a town roughly 6 miles from Starship's launchpad.
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Dave Cortez, a chapter director for Port Isabel's Sierra Club environmental advocacy group, said that the town's residents reported broken windows in their businesses and ash-like particles covering their homes and schools. He added that he found concrete from Starship's shattered launchpad shot out into the ocean, creating shrapnel that risked hitting the fuel storage tanks adjacent to the launch pad.
It is unknown when the FAA will conclude its mishap investigation of SpaceX's Starship, but if it ends in a month, the space company may have a chance to launch its mega rocket again in two months or later after it reacquires the government agency's approval.
Not According To Plan
The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023.
While SpaceX CEO Elon Musk predicted that the rocket is likely to explode before it could even reach orbit. he and She company didn't predict that the rocket's launch would destroy its launchpad, nor particular matter from the launchpad would rain down on Port Isabel residents and Boca Chica's beaches and wildlife habitats.
The company told the FAA and other agencies that debris from the launch would fall within a 700-acre area surrounding the launch site should an "anomaly" happen during the launch for it to push through with Starship's launch.
This area is vastly smaller than what was actually needed on Apr. 20 - the day of Starship's launch. Suffice it to say, it is probable that the FAA would have SpaceX move the venue of Starship's launch to some other place before it would give them the approval it needs to retry launching the rocket again.
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