(Reuters) – SpaceX’s first high-altitude test flight of its starship rocket, which exploded last month, attempted to land after an otherwise successful test launch, violated the terms of its Federal Aviation Administration test license , The Verge reported on Friday, citing sources. .
An investigation was opened that week focused on explosive landings and SpaceX refused to stick to the terms of authorizing the FAA.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 16-story prototype, a 16-story tall prototype, was destroyed by the private space company of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo to the Moon and Mars on future missions.
The self-guided rocket blew as it touched a landing pad after a controlled descent. The test flight was intended to reach an altitude of 41,000 feet, first proposed by three of SpaceX’s newly developed Raptor engines.
But the company did not leave clear whether the rocket flew so high.
The FAA said it would evaluate additional information provided by SpaceX as part of its application to modify its launch license.
“We will be satisfied only when we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements,” the statement said. ”
Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru and David Shepperson in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
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