SpaceX has revealed the reason for the failure of the 8th test launch of the super-heavy starship rocket-a chain reaction caused by engine failure, the rocket eventually self-destructs in the air. The report said the Federal Aviation Administration Authority (FAA-RRB- had endorsed the accident investigation report and approved subsequent flight tests. If all goes well, the“Starship” the ninth test launch will be as early as 27 U. S. local time.
Reported that as“The most powerful carrier rocket in history,” the“Starship” of the past test launch have attracted great attention, but it was in this year’s two test failures. During the seventh test launch of“Starship” on January 17, although the first stage of the rocket was successfully recovered from the launch tower nicknamed“Chopstick Rocket”, but the second-stage starship lost control and self-destructed during re-entry. SpaceX later announced that a preliminary investigation had suggested that the cause of the accident was a fuel leak caused by excessive vibration during flight, leading to a fire that eventually triggered the rocket’s self-destruct mechanism. On March 6, the modified starship conducted its eighth test launch, but again suffered a similar outcome to the seventh-the first stage completed the tower recovery, and the starship mid-air disintegrated and exploded. Critics say SpaceX rushed the tests too quickly to catch up, and the accident shows that SpaceX has not found the cause of the two failed launches. The FAA has also asked the company to conduct a more rigorous investigation before resuming the launch.
On March 6,2025, the starship lifted off on its eighth test flight from the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. Visual China
SpaceX’s latest accident investigation report shows that the failure location of the eighth test launch was not the same as the seventh incident. There was a“Flash” in the center of the starship’s engine area, followed by an“Energy release event” that caused one of the engines to shut down. Several engines immediately stopped working because of the chain reaction, causing the spacecraft to roll out of control. SpaceX lost communication with the spacecraft about two minutes after the“Flash” event, triggering the spacecraft’s automated flight termination software, which then self-destructed. The report said, “The most likely root cause of the starship accident was identified as a hardware failure in the central engine that led to accidental propellant mixing and ignition.” SpaceX’s proposed overhaul plan included adding preload at key connections, optimizing propellant exhaust systems and installing a new generation of nitrogen purge systems, to prevent combustible gases in the fuel from“Igniting when they should not”, a new generation of reliable engines will be introduced in the future.
In addition, the report shows that although the“Starship” first-stage successful completion of the transmission tower recovery, but the process is not smooth. During the landing, two of the rocket’s 13 engines failed during the reverse ignition phase, and one failed to restart during the landing ignition phase. SpaceX confirmed that the problems were due to“Local overheating” and that additional insulation measures would be implemented to mitigate the problem in the future.
SpaceX’s accident investigation report was overseen by the FAA in conjunction with NASA, the National Transportation and Safety Board and the U.S. Space Force, the report said. After approval, the FAA confirmed that“SpaceX has successfully resolved the problem” and agreed that“Starship” ready to launch again.
SpaceX announced that it would conduct the ninth test launch of the starship on May 27 at 1930 local time (0730 GMT, May 28) from its starbase near Bokachka Beach, Texas. During the mission, SpaceX will make its first attempt to reuse the first stage of its rocket, which it used on its seventh test flight, the company said. However, to reduce the risk of testing, the mission will not repeat the previous two test flights in the repeatedly verified fixed-point landing and launch tower recovery, but the first stage of the rocket is planned to make a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico directly after the abandonment. In addition, the launch mission will also test a number of things. “The starship will be targeted for a number of space missions, including the deployment of eight test payloads simulating the new generation of ‘Star Chain’ satellites, which will follow the same trajectory as the starship and are expected to burn up on re-entry.”