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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

SpaceX ignored last-minute warnings from the FAA before December Starship launch [theverge.com]

Minutes before liftoff, Elon Musk's SpaceX ignored at least two warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration that launching its first high-altitude Starship prototype last December would violate the company's launch license, confidential documents and letters obtained by The Verge show. And while SpaceX was under investigation, it told the FAA that the agency's software was a "source of frustration" that has been "shown to be inaccurate at times or overly conservative," according to the documents.

[...] Neither SpaceX nor Musk has publicly commented on the SN8 violation. SpaceX didn't respond to a request for comment. The FAA confirmed the violation after a report by The Verge [theverge.com] in January. But a confidential five-page report by SpaceX and letters between Shotwell and Monteith reveal what SpaceX employees knew before liftoff and detail how the company responded to its violation in the aftermath.

[...] SpaceX employees left the FAA meeting for the company's launch control room ahead of SN8's launch. Minutes before liftoff, an FAA safety inspector speaking on an open phone line warned SpaceX's staff in the launch control room that a launch would violate the company's launch license. SpaceX staff ignored the warning because they "assumed that the inspector did not have the latest information," the SpaceX report said.

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[...] SpaceX agreed to take over a dozen corrective measures but defended its own data and decision-making. The company criticized the FAA's launch-weather modeling software. The software's results, SpaceX said, can be intentionally interfered with to provide "better or worse results for an identical scenario."

SpaceX has complained to the FAA in the past about the software, but "this feedback has not driven any action, contributing to the situation described above," the report said. A "closer and more direct dialogue" with FAA officials would've smoothed the FAA discussions before SN8's launch, SpaceX added.

[...] FAA investigators couldn't determine whether the SN8 license violation was intentional, according to people involved in and briefed on the investigation, speaking on the condition of anonymity. That's partially why the FAA review of the violation wasn't a more in-depth investigation that could have resulted in fines or stronger consequences. FAA officials also believed grounding Starship and foisting a two-month investigation on a multibillion-dollar company focused heavily on speedy timelines would be a more effective penalty than imposing relatively trivial fines, the people said.

Previously: Attempt #2 of Spacex 12.5 km Test Launch of Starship SN8 Went Boom! [Updates 4] [soylentnews.org]
FAA Ineptitude? [soylentnews.org]

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