SpaceX’s Starship will be grounded for a while longer.
Starship — the largest and most powerful rocket ever built — flew for the fourth time in June, and SpaceX has been preparing for flight number five ever since. But that test mission is likely at least 2.5 months away, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“SpaceX must meet all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements prior to FAA launch authorization,” agency officials said in an emailed statement to Space.com on Wednesday (Sept. 11 ). “The final license determination for Starship Flight 5 is not expected before late November 2024.”
The statement explained how the FAA arrived at this timeline.
“SpaceX’s current license authorizing the launch of Starship Flight 4 also allows for multiple flights of the same vehicle configuration and mission profile. SpaceX has chosen to change both for the proposed launch of Starship Flight 5, which -triggered a more in-depth review,” agency officials wrote.
“In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how Flight 5’s environmental impact covered a larger area than previously assessed,” they added. “This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies.”
Related: SpaceX tests Super Heavy Starship booster before 5th flight (video)
SpaceX is not happy with this development. In a blog post published Tuesday (Sept. 10), the company wrote that the FAA previously said the license review would likely be done by mid-September.
The Starship vehicle that will conduct Flight 5 has been ready to fly from a technical standpoint since early August, SpaceX added, saying the licensing was “not based on a new safety concern, but rather driven of excessive environmental scrutiny.”
“We find ourselves delayed for unreasonable and annoying reasons,” SpaceX added in Tuesday’s post. The lengthy document, titled “Starships Are Meant to Fly,” also expressed broader frustration with the regulatory environment that SpaceX and other launch providers must navigate.
“Unfortunately, we continue to be stuck in a reality where it takes longer to do the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the actual hardware,” SpaceX wrote. “This should not happen and directly threatens America’s position as a leader in space.”
The Starship consists of two elements, both designed to be completely and quickly reusable: a giant booster called the Super Heavy and a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) upper stage known as the Starship, or Ship for in short.
SpaceX is building the stainless steel vehicle — which stands 400 feet (122 m) tall when fully stacked — to help humanity settle on the moon and Mars, as well as to perform a variety of ambitious missions. in exploration.
The four Starship test flights took place in April and November of 2023 and March and June of this year. The Starship got better with each successive mission. It aced Flight 4, for example; The ship reached orbital velocity as planned, and both it and the Super Heavy survived their journey down through Earth’s atmosphere, splashing down into the ocean as planned.
Flight 5 will feature a new twist: The Super Heavy will attempt to return to the launch mount at Starbase, SpaceX’s Starship launch and manufacturing hub in South Texas. This approach will be the future baseline, if all goes according to plan, allowing for faster inspection, adjustment and relighting of the Starship in the future.
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