NASA Advisors Worried Over Elon Musk’s SpaceX Plans

Elon Musk previously proposed that SpaceX will fuel its rockets while astronauts are on board - but NASA isn't too keen about the idea, saying that it poses safety issues.

Space Station Advisory Committee Chairman Thomas Stafford, a former NASA astronaut and retired Air Force general stated in a conference call that the operation could be hazardous. The concern was raised after an unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded while it was being fueled on September 1, and the cause of the said explosion is still under investigation.

The Daily Mail noted that all previous rockets that carried people into space were fueled before the astronauts got to the launch pad. Stafford explained, "Everybody there, and particularly the people who had experience over the years, said nobody is ever near the pad when they fuel a booster."

NASA will need to approve the launch system before SpaceX can put astronauts in space, and on Tuesday, the agency said that it is still "continuing" its evaluation of the company's concept for fueling Falcon9 for commercial crew launches.

Still, in a statement as cited by The Verge, SpaceX maintained that they were able to design "a reliable fueling and launch process" that minimizes the risks posed for people. Yet, a NASA safety review board approved a report about the hazards posed by Falcon 9's fueling.

The company, however, noted that the fueling process has not been set in stone. A recent update noted that SpaceX said they still didn't know the cause of the explosion, but they were able to recreate a failure with the Falcon 9 during one of its fuel loading tests in Texas. At this point, the company is working on improving its fueling processes as it tries to return to flight, maybe even adding a "corrective action" depending on what they will learn from the investigation.