(Washington) The US air regulator announced Wednesday that it had completed its investigation into the accident of a Blue Origin rocket last year, and requested changes from the space company before flights could resume.
Since the accident that occurred on September 12, 2022, which resulted in the crash of the rocket’s propulsion stage New Shepardit is nailed to the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has demanded that billionaire Jeff Bezos’ company “implement 21 corrective actions” in order to prevent such an accident from happening again, it announced in a press release.
These measures include modifying the design of certain engine components, as well as “organizational changes”.
The accident was caused by “a higher than expected engine operating temperature,” the FAA said.
Blue Origin said on X that it had received the letter from the FAA, and “plans to fly soon.”
The rocket New Shepard is notably used by the company for space tourism flights from Texas. It has already taken 31 people for trips of a few minutes over the final frontier, including Jeff Bezos himself.
At the time of the accident, however, it was only carrying scientific experiments.
The rocket is made up of a single stage and, at its top, the capsule carrying its cargo.
During the mission named NS-23, the capsule’s automatic ejection system was triggered, and it fell to the ground, slowed by its parachutes.
The main stage had been destroyed by hitting the ground, instead of landing in a controlled manner to be reused as usual.
“All debris landed in the designated risk area,” the FAA said Wednesday. “Public safety was maintained at all times, with no injuries or damage to public buildings. »
Blue Origin, which announced this week a change of CEO, is in competition with the company Virgin Galactic, which also offers short suborbital flights.
The company founded by British billionaire Richard Branson is planning its fifth space flight in five months on October 5.