Report: FAA ought to enhance investigation course of after a rocket launch goes awry

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has let launch suppliers conduct their very own investigations in almost each occasion {that a} launch mishap has occurred because the begin of the century — a apply that wants nearer scrutiny, a federal watchdog stated in a brand new report.

The report, published Thursday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), takes an in depth have a look at the investigations into launch mishaps, the trade time period for when a launch ends in an explosion or different failure. Mishap investigations are a traditional plan of action and are typically underneath the aegis of the FAA — however this report reveals that the apply is principally completely operator-led, with the FAA having insufficient assets for in-house investigations.

Of the 49 mishaps that occurred between 2000 and 2023, and for which FAA was the lead investigative authority, all have been led by the launch operator, the report discovered. The one exception was an investigation right into a deadly accident involving SpaceShipTwo in October 2014, for which the Nationwide Transportation Security Board was the lead authority.

The FAA lets the launch firm lead its personal investigations for quite a few causes, officers informed GAO. An in depth understanding of auto design and the underlying know-how is critical when enterprise a root trigger investigation right into a failure, and the operators know their car finest. FAA officers additionally estimated that in-house investigations would take 10-20 instances longer than these led by the operator.

The U.S. Authorities Accountability Workplace stated the FAA ought to develop standards for figuring out when a mishap investigation is led by its workplace or the launch supplier, the report stated. It additional discovered that the FAA has not evaluated the effectiveness of its “operator-reliant” mishap investigation course of.

“FAA officials told us they make their decisions to authorize operator-led investigations depending on the level of investigation required, which is largely based on severity of the mishap or its consequences and may also take into consideration the level of public interest,” the report stated. “However, in practice, FAA authorized the operator involved to lead the investigation of its mishap for all 49 mishaps for which FAA had lead investigative authority.”

Even when investigations are led by the launch firm, the FAA nonetheless workouts a point of oversight and involvement within the course of. However some stakeholders questioned whether or not the launch corporations “can be impartial or effective investigators of their own mishaps.”

Launch suppliers informed the GAO that they take steps to take care of independence of their inner investigations, and others stated that market incentives and insurance coverage necessities may create optimistic incentives for a rigorous, credible investigation course of.

Regardless, GAO discovered that the FAA didn’t preserve standards for evaluating the effectiveness of operator-led investigations, and has no formal channels for operators to share their findings with the broader trade.

“Without a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of its operator-led mishap investigation process, FAA cannot be assured that its safety oversight is best achieving agency objectives in an area of critical importance,” GAO stated.