Beyond Politics

SpaceX Clinches FAA Clearance for Second Starship Launch After April Explosion

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said in an X post that it issued a license authorizing the second launch of SpaceX’s Starship super heavy vehicle.
Sputnik
“The FAA has given license authorization for the second launch of the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy vehicle. The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, and financial responsibility requirements,” the post said on Wednesday.
The second flight test of Starship will take place at 8:00 a.m. (13:00 GMT) on Friday from the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas. The clearance offers a two-hour launch window.
Notices earlier issued to mariners suggest that backup dates for the launch have been listed for November 18, 19 and 20. All dates point toward an early morning launches.
The company detailed in a statement that resident living in Cameron County and nearby areas "may hear a loud noise resulting from the rocket’s 33 Raptor engines firing upon ignition and as the vehicle launches toward space, but what people experience will depend on weather and other conditions."
The rocket, which is designed for missions to Earths's moon and the ever-distant Mars, initially made its launch debut in late April; however, the highly-anticipated blast off event ended with an explosion just four minutes after launch.
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SpaceX’s Starship Launch Ends With Midair Explosion After Engine Failure
Although the launch failure caused extensive damage to the site and surrounding areas, SpaceX hailed the effort as a success. Company founder Elon Musk detailed at the time that so long as the vehicle managed to get "far enough away from the launchpad before something goes wrong," he would consider the test a win.
SpaceX was earlier required to meet 63 corrective actions that were outlined after the April launch prompted environmental and wildlife advocates to file a lawsuit against the FAA. It was alleged the agency failed to meet environmental laws when it granted its launch permit to the company.
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