SpaceX Confirms Engine Fires Lead To Massive Rocket Explosion In April

wccftech.com:

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

SpaceX has officially received the list of actions that it needs to take to ensure that the Starship rocket complies with FAA regulations. SpaceX's April Starship test launch was quite a spectacle. While it saw the world's biggest rocket successfully soar to the sky after clearing the pad, the remainder of the flight provided metal-fueled fireworks that saw the rocket flip multiple times in mid-air before exploding. The FAA released today's press release explaining the work it has been doing with SpaceX after the April test attempt. Simultaneously, SpaceX also released a press release clearing up some uncertainties about a couple of failures during the April launch.

Apart from the mid-air gymnastics, which were quite a sight on their own, the April test also saw multiple fires in Starship's engine bay. Several of the rocket's engines also fizzled out during the flight. SpaceX's latest statement shares that the engine problems ultimately led to an unsuccessful second-stage separation and orbital test flight.

According to SpaceX, propellant leaks at the rocket's tail (aft) end led to multiple fires inside it. These affected the primary Starship computer, which eventually failed. This failure was the primary reason behind the rocket's explosion since it made SpaceX unable to communicate with the engines, leaving SpaceX unable to communicate with the 394-foot-tall rocket.

Interestingly, SpaceX also mentions that it upgraded the rocket's thrust vector control (TVC) system. This system is responsible for moving the engines, allowing SapceX to control the rocket. SpaceX's details about the