SpaceX Received Regulatory Approval For A New Starship Launch Tomorrow
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has licensed SpaceX’s second Starship launch.
The launch is scheduled to take place on November 17 from Starbase in South Texas. Starship consists of a first stage booster called Super Heavy and the Starship. SpaceX believes this vehicle will make settling Mars economically feasible in the near future. Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket designed so far.
As the FAA reported on Network X, SpaceX has met all safety, environmental, insurance and financial liability requirements. The final hurdle to obtaining a launch license remained permission from environmental authorities, although the relaunch date was confirmed before their consent was obtained.
The first attempt to launch the Starship with the Super Heavy accelerator into orbital altitude in April of this year ended in failure. The missile had to be destroyed in the air, which also happened with a significant delay and could lead to dire consequences. According to SpaceX, the destruction in the booster that caused the disaster damaged communications with the rocket’s main computer, preventing the missiles from firing to destroy the rocket when signaled from the ground.
Before the second attempt, the team of engineers seriously modernized the launch pad and the entire infrastructure of the spaceport in Boca Chica, where the development of the launch vehicle is concentrated.
