FAA closes investigation into SpaceX Turks and Caicos debris shower

BOCA CHICA, Texas (ValleyCentral)—The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its investigation into the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mishap on Jan. 16.

According to the FAA, there were no public injuries and one confirmed report of minor vehicle damage in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where the debris from the rocket landed.

The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation.

Additionally, the final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle was stronger than anticipated vibrations during flight led to increased stress on, and failure of, the hardware in the propulsion system, the FAA reported.

To prevent this from happening again during other flights, SpaceX identified 11 corrective actions. The FAA verified that SpaceX implemented corrective actions prior to Flight 8.

To watch the test flight, visit LabPadre.