Photographer: Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg
Photographer: Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg
Elon Musk criticized the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for a “fundamentally broken regulatory structure” amid uncertainty over when Space Exploration Technologies Corp. would be able to. the second test of their giant Starship spacecraft.
The planned launch for Thursday was scrapped and would be rescheduled for Friday, the FAA said on its air traffic website. The regulator did not say whether it ordered the cancellation or why the flight was canceled.
“We will continue to work with SpaceX to resolve outstanding security issues before approving the next test flight,” the FAA said in an emailed statement. SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NASASpaceflight.com, a space news website, said the status of the test flight was unclear as it showed a live stream of the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville.
SpaceX had visited a launch window between 8 am and 6 pm. Mid-time for a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) test ride of the next-generation Starship SN-9 prototype. The FAA must impose a temporary flight restriction for the zone in which Starship would fly, which covers part of the Gulf of Mexico. The restriction prohibits commercial air traffic from ground level to more than 100,000 feet (approximately 30,500 meters).
In a tweet, Musk said FAA rules are designed “for a handful of shows spent each year from a few government facilities. Under these rules, humanity can never get to Mars. ”
SpaceX Stainless Steel Starship is designed to be a multi-functional, fully reusable craft that can carry 100 metric tons for deep space missions to the moon and Mars and also be a hypersonic, point-to-point vehicle for travel times. to reduce throughout the Earth. With a heavy lift that creates a two-stage system, the Starship is 160 feet high with a diameter of 30 feet, and can carry as many as 100 passengers.
The Starship SN-8 first flew on December 9 with a successful ascent and landing flip motion, staying steady throughout the flight for nearly seven minutes. However, low pressure in the fuel tank caused the spacecraft to land too quickly, resulting in its fireball at a touchdown.
– Supported by Alan Levin
(Updates with FAA opinion in the third paragraph)