On Monday, SpaceX announced that a series of events triggered by propellant leaks led to the explosion of its Starship last month. The company claims to have addressed the issue and is preparing for an eighth test flight, which may take place as early as Friday.

However, SpaceX is still awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to either close the “mishap investigation” into the explosion or grant special authorization to proceed with the flight while the investigation is ongoing.

Notably, this is the first time SpaceX has been subject to a mishap investigation under the leadership of CEO Elon Musk, who is currently operating within the United States government, with his Department of Government Efficiency implementing changes at the FAA. The agency has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Starship test in January began without issues, with the company aiming to test upgrades to the Super Heavy booster, launch-and-catch tower, and Starship itself. The heavy-lift rocket system launched successfully, and the booster separated and returned to the ground in Texas, where it was caught by the tower.

Problems arose approximately two minutes after Starship ignited its rocket engines to reach orbit. According to a blog post by SpaceX, a flash was observed near one of the Raptor vacuum engines, and sensors detected a rise in pressure, indicating a propellant leak.

Another flash occurred two minutes later, and SpaceX reported that “sustained fires” broke out in that section of Starship due to the leaks. The fires caused all but one of the ship’s engines to shut down, leading to a loss of communication with the ship.

SpaceX attributes the leaks to vibrations that exceeded expected levels during testing, which put additional stress on the propulsion system’s hardware. The automatic in-flight abort system ultimately triggered the destruction of the ship following the fires and communication blackout.

The explosion resulted in a spectacular display over the Turks and Caicos islands and led to the FAA diverting several flights to ensure safety. SpaceX claims that all debris landed within the pre-planned Debris Response Area, a designated safe zone negotiated with government agencies before the flight. However, residents have reported finding debris washing up on beaches, and at least one vehicle was struck, sustaining minor damage.

To address the issue, SpaceX has modified the fuel lines to the engines, adjusted the propellant temperature, and added extra vents and a new purge system to make the affected section more robust against propellant leakage.