U.S. FAA Starts Probe On Disastrous SpaceX Starship Launch

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the April 20 launch of SpaceX’s Starship amid claims the launch smashed windows and rained ash on the habitats of endangered animals, Ben Turner reported for Live Science.

Photo Insert: Debris of the 2020 crash

SpaceX's Starship has been grounded by the US government following claims that the rocket's explosive first launch spread plumes of potentially hazardous debris over homes and the habitats of endangered animals.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — the US civil aviation regulator — has stopped SpaceX from conducting any further launch until it has concluded a "mishap investigation" into Starship's April 20 test launch.

The massive rocket’s dramatic flight began by punching a crater into the concrete beneath the launchpad and ended when the giant rocket exploded in mid-air around 4 minutes later.

Unlike other launch sites for large rockets, SpaceX’s Boca Chica site lacks both a deluge system, which floods pads with shockwave-suppressing water or foam, and a flame trench to safely channel burning exhaust away.

Dust and debris from the test reportedly rained down on residents in Port Isabel, Texas — a town roughly 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the launchpad — and across Boca Chica's beaches, which are nesting grounds for endangered animals, including birds and sea turtles.

Dave Cortez, a chapter director for the Sierra Club environmental advocacy group, said that Port Isabel residents reported broken windows in their businesses and ash-like particles covering their homes and schools.

The launchpad was also left with extensive damage that includes charred, twisted metal and shattered concrete. The force from the rocket's engines blew a hole in the launchpad and created a crater beneath it.

"Concrete shot out into the ocean," Cortez told CNBC, creating shrapnel that "risked hitting the fuel storage tanks which are these silos adjacent to the launch pad."

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