SpaceX just cleared a big hurdle toward launching at Starship
rocket again, and it could happen as soon as 10 days from
now. The FAA announced late on May
15th that it has updated Spacex's Starship launch
license. This new version includes an
environmental approval granted earlier this month, which now
allows SpaceX to conduct the 25 launches per year from Starbase
in South Texas. That's a 5 fold increase from
the previous cap of just five launches per year.
This is a major step for SpaceX as it ramps up its testing
program. And it's not a green light for
Flight 9. Not yet.
The FAA made it clear that SpaceX still can't launch Flight
9 until the agency officially closes its investigation into
Flight 8 or determines that the company can safely return to
flight. SpaceX submitted its final
report on that failure on May 14th, and the FAA is still
reviewing it. Flight 8 took off in March and
ran into serious trouble during its ascent.
A energetic event hit the upper stage and caused several Raptor
engines to shut down. That led to a loss of control,
and the rocket reentered over the Caribbean.
A similar issue happened with Flight 7 in January, and before
Flight 8 even launched, SpaceX admitted they were dealing with
a phenomenon called a harmonic response.
This is essentially intense vibrations during flight that
were stronger than what they've seen in testing and what they've
expected. These vibrations strain the
propulsion system, led to fuel leaks, and caused fires on
board. Back on March 31st, the FAA
accepted Spacex's findings for the earlier flight, but the
agency said they wouldn't allow another launch until Flight 8's
investigation was fully closed or another path forward was
defined. That's where we are now, with
the FAA reviewing the Flight 8 report and SpaceX on standby
ready to move. Meanwhile, SpaceX is already
preparing for Flight 9. On May 13th, they performed a
long duration static fire test of the Starship upper stage, one
of the final steps before launch, and the company said at
that time they were in final preparations for liftoff.
Maritime and airspace notices hint at a possible launch window
opening around May 22nd, but that still depends on FAA
approval. And it's going to be more
towards the 27th. Now Elon Musk said he plans a
talk at Starbase and it's going to be about the Mars strategy
just before flight 9 that the event will be streamed online.
But there's growing concern outside the US after debris from
flight 7 and 8 re entered over the Caribbean.
Some officials in the region pushed for changes to the
Rockets path. Now, the British Prime Minister,
Stephen Doughty, reached out to the US State Department to
request a shift in the launch trajectory to reduce risk to
territories like the Turks and Caicos.
The FAA responded by publishing an updated environmental
assessment for the upcoming launch.
That document outlines a larger hazard zone, called the Aircraft
Hazard Area, that now stretches as far as the Bahamas and Turks
and Caicos. Now, the agency cited the past
two Starship mishaps as the reason for the expanded danger
zone, saying the risk of failure remains higher than normal.
And because of that, more than 175 commercial flights are
expected to be impacted by the temporary airspace closures
during launch. The average delay is estimated
at around 40 minutes per flight, and the launch is currently
scheduled for 7:30 PM Eastern, which helps avoid peak travel
periods. Still, the airports and Turks
and Caicos will have to shut down during the launch window to
stay clear of the hazard zone. Now, the FAA license update is
important because it moves SpaceX closer to restarting
Starship flights, and this is the rocket system that will
eventually send humans to Mars. But first it has to prove it can
launch, fly and return without failing.