SpaceX's Starship prototype rocket explodes on landing, FAA to oversee investigation

As SpaceX’s second full test flight of its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship ended in another fiery crash landing on February 2, the Federal Aviation Administration said that it will oversee an investigation into the incident. Elon Musk’s company launched its latest Starship prototype from the southeastern tip of Texas two months after the previous test ended in an equally explosive belly flop. The destroyed vehicle, SpaceX’s Starship SN9, was an early prototype for a rocket the company hopes will carry the first humans to the Red planet. 

On Tuesday, the rocket was launched in a high-altitude test flight and it had travelled a few miles up in the air. The vehicle hovered for a moment and then conducted a belly flop-like manoeuvre on the descent before making an explosive landing back in the latch pad. Following the failed launch, the FAA said that its top priority in regulating commercial space transportation is ensuring that operations are safe, even if there is an anomaly. 

READ: SpaceX's Falcon 9 Launched Successfully With Record-breaking 143 Spacecrafts Into Orbit

According to CNN, the agency’s spokesperson said that the FAA will oversee the investigation of Tuesday’s landing mishap involving the SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype in Boca Chica, Texas. The spokesperson added that although this was an uncrewed test flight, the investigation will identify the root cause of the mishap and possible opportunities to further enhance safety as the program develops. Further, the agency also noted that the during the launch the rocket’s three engines, turned off and then re-ignited for the landing as planned, however, the rock burst into a fireball when it returned to the launch pad. 

On the company’s live stream on social media, SpaceX engineer John Insprucker said much of the test flight “looked to be very good” and the engineers were able to gather data to help improve the Starship design throughout the flight. He added that they demonstrated the ability to transition the engines to the landing propellant tanks, the subsonic reentry looked very good and stable. “We’ve just got to work on that landing a little bit,” Insprucker said. 

READ: SpaceX Plans To 'drill For Natural Gas' Near Texas' Boca Chica Launchpad

Musk’s Mars mission 

SpaceX Starship vehicle is designed to carry unprecedented weights to outer space and can deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than the company's current Falcon vehicles, which are being used by NASA to deliver crew and cargo to the ISS. Musk is developing Starship to carry people to Mars, perhaps in as little as several years. He wants to use his SpaceX mission to help humanity and also plans to create a "Colony of Humans" on Mars.

Back in November, the tech mogul had even said that he wants to make his own laws on the Red planet. Musk said that once SpaceX reaches Mars, it will colonize the planet as there are no “universal laws on the planet”. All Martian settlement will be dealt with using "self-governing principles”, Musk said in a document that lists Terms of Service of its Starlink internet project, declaring himself the governing entity in space. Further, the rocket company's satellite-based internet service, Starlink suggests that it will not recognise the land-based international law that governs Earth on the red planet. 

READ: SpaceX To Launch Starship Sn9; Musk Plans To Make 1000 Starships, Take People To Mars

READ: SpaceX's 1st 2021 Launch Scheduled For Jan 20: Here's All You Need To Know About It