Federal Regulators Clear SpaceX for Starship Test Flight as Soon as Next Week
In a significant development, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given SpaceX the green light to launch the next test flight of its Starship mega-rocket as soon as next week. This comes after two consecutive failures earlier this year, which set back SpaceX’s Starship program by several months.
According to a statement released by the FAA, SpaceX has been authorised to launch the next Starship test flight, known as Flight 9, after meeting "all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements." This is a crucial step towards getting the rocket’s development back on track, as Starship is central to SpaceX’s long-held ambition to send humans to Mars and is the vehicle NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon under the umbrella of the government’s Artemis program.
As reported by Ars Technica, the FAA’s clearance paves the way for SpaceX to launch the next Starship test flight, which will be the ninth full-scale test flight since its debut in April 2023. The company aims to use this launch to get the rocket’s development back on track and demonstrate its capabilities.
While SpaceX has not confirmed a target launch date for the next launch of Starship, warning notices for pilots and mariners to steer clear of hazard areas in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the flight might happen as soon as the evening of Tuesday, May 27. The rocket will lift off from Starbase, Texas, SpaceX’s privately owned spaceport near the US-Mexico border.
This will be the third flight of SpaceX’s upgraded Block 2, or Version 2, Starship rocket. The first two flights of Starship Block 2—in January and March—did not go well, as Ars Technica previously reported. On both occasions, the rocket’s upper stage shut down its engines prematurely and the vehicle lost control, breaking apart in the upper atmosphere and spreading debris near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Investigators determined the cause of the January failure was a series of fuel leaks and fires in the ship’s aft compartment. The leaks were most likely triggered by vibrations that were more intense than anticipated, SpaceX said before Starship’s most recent flight in March. However, the cause of the March failure has not been announced, although the circumstances were similar to the mishap in January.
As noted by Ars Technica, debris from Starship Flight 8 was seen falling back into the atmosphere over Hog Cay, Bahamas, in a view captured by GeneDoctorB via X. The image shows the extent of the damage caused by the previous test flights.
The successful clearance of the Starship test flight by the FAA marks a significant milestone for SpaceX, as the company continues to work towards its ambitious goals. With the next launch, SpaceX aims to demonstrate the capabilities of its Starship rocket and pave the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars. As Ars Technica reports, the company remains committed to pushing the boundaries of space exploration and development.
The upcoming Starship test flight is a critical step towards achieving these goals, and Ars Technica will continue to provide updates on the progress of the mission. With the FAA’s clearance, SpaceX is one step closer to achieving its vision of sending humans to Mars and beyond.
