BOCA CHICA, Texas – SpaceX has the green light to attempt a second Starship test flight from Texas this Friday after receiving the necessary Federal Aviation Administration launch license.
Elon Musk’s company is targeting Friday morning to launch Starship and the Super Heavy booster, a 400-foot-tall fully reusable launch vehicle. The 2-hour test window opens at 7 a.m. CT.
Starship and Super Heavy booster testing and development is underway at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX said residents in Cameron County, Texas, may hear a “loud noise” from the rocket’s 33 engines firing, but “what people experience will depend on weather and other conditions.”
A test flight in April ended with an epic explosion over the Gulf of Mexico when SpaceX attempted to launch Starship for the first time. Previous test “hops” were completed in Texas – some also explosive – before SpaceX tried to launch the spaceship and booster together.
NASA has tapped SpaceX’s Starship flight system to land the Artemis astronauts on the Moon in 2025, but many test flights are needed before Starship flies people. Since the first test flight, SpaceX has made significant changes to Starship, the launch tower and the launchpad system.
Musk previously said SpaceX was targeting Nov. 17 for launch but is awaiting the launch license from the FAA.
SPACEX MAKES CHANGES TO STARSHIP AFTER ‘LESSONS LEARNED’ FROM TEST FLIGHT
On Thursday, the FAA, the U.S. agency responsible for regulating commercial spaceflight, said in a statement SpaceX has the launch license for another Starship flight.
“The FAA has given license authorization for the second launch of the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy vehicle,” the FAA said. “The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements.”
SpaceX plans to air the test fight live on its website and on X, formerly known as Twitter.