SpaceX has revealed the cause of the explosion of its Starship rocket during its eighth test flight in March. The investigation found that a “flash” occurred near one of the ship’s center Raptor engines, leading to an “energetic event” that caused the engine to shut down and ultimately led to the spacecraft’s loss.
The flash was attributed to a hardware failure in the engine, which resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition. The incident occurred about two minutes after the initial flash, and SpaceX lost communication with the vehicle shortly thereafter. The automated flight termination software triggered a self-destruct sequence, resulting in the loss of the Starship.
Despite the setback, SpaceX has cleared the way for its next test flight, scheduled for May 27. The company has implemented fixes to address the failure mechanism, including tightening bolts at critical junctures and improving plumbing to prevent flammable gas ignition.
The investigation included over 100 long-duration test firings of the Raptor engine at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, test facility, with oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, the National Transportation and Safety Board, and the U.S. Space Force. The FAA has now approved Starship to return to flight, paving the way for its ninth test flight.
SpaceX will stream the May 27 launch live on its website, and the mission is expected to liftoff at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT).
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/spacex-knows-why-its-starship-flight-8-ship-exploded-traced-to-flash-in-rocket-engines