The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given the go-ahead for the second test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket. The FAA said in a statement which “has granted license authorization for the second launch of the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy vehicle. “The FAA determined that SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements.”
SpaceX confirmed The test is now scheduled for November 17, with a two-hour launch window beginning at 8 a.m. ET.
The FAA identified 63 actions that SpaceX needed to deploy to Starship and the launch site before making further attempts.
Damage to the surrounding area was criticized by environmental activists and local residents near the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and debris from the explosion is known to have hit at least one vehicle. To relaunch, SpaceX needed to obtain a license modification from the FAA that covered “all applicable regulatory, environmental and safety requirements.” SpaceX says this second flight “will debut a hot stage separation system and a new electronic thrust vector control (TVC) system for Super Heavy Raptor engines, as well as reinforcements at the base of the platform and a steel flame deflector water cooled, among many others. other improvements.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, shared a video of the fully assembled Starship vehicle on its launch pad on September 6, saying it would be ready to launch following “FAA license approval.” Musk continued September, 10thsaying that necessary updates had been made for the FAA to approve further Starship testing.
If all goes well (subject to the usual pre-flight checks and weather conditions), this Starship will fly for 90 minutes after launch before making its own vertical descent into the Pacific Ocean.
