SpaceX Receives License For First Orbital Flight Of Starship
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Elon Musk’s SpaceX a license for the first orbital flight of the Starship super-heavy launch vehicle, the most powerful ever built.
The statement of the department, which leads the TV channel, says that SpaceX meets all the requirements of safety, ecology, “airspace integration and financial responsibility.”
The launch will take place on Monday, April 17, from Starbase’s private spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas. 150-minute launch window opens at 8:00 AM EST.
The FAA approval came after a rigorous evaluation process in which SpaceX demonstrated compliance with safety, environmental, policy, payload, airspace integration, and financial responsibility requirements. The license granted by the FAA is valid for five years, giving SpaceX the green light for future launches.
The total height of the Starship is 120 m, the rocket system consists of a spacecraft and a Super Heavy carrier. The company’s website says that the ship is a reusable transport system, it is capable of delivering people and cargo to low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars. The flight will take place in unmanned mode, if everything goes according to plan, the Booster 7 super-heavy rocket booster will put the ship into orbit, which will make one flight around the Earth. After that, the two parts of the missile system will land in the Pacific Ocean on a floating platform.
