According to a planning notice published on Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a crucial SpaceX Starship Super Heavy rocket launch test may occur next week.
The primary anticipated date for the launch, according to the FAA notice, is April 10, with April 11 and 12 listed as backup dates. For what is anticipated to be the company’s first orbital flight test from Boca Chica, Texas, billionaire Elon Musk must still obtain a launch license.
According to the FAA, it has not decided whether or not to issue a license for the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy operation. Additionally, the FAA’s Command Center planning notice should not be interpreted as indicating that a decision to issue a license has been made or will be made in the near future.
According to an unnamed person who is familiar with the procedure, the FAA may grant SpaceX’s Starship test launch license on Monday. They warned that an environmental compliance review could extend the licensing process, which was nearing completion.
SpaceX’s fully-stacked, 120-meter-tall Starship rocket system, which consists of a Starship rocket atop a 33-engine ‘Super Heavy’ first stage booster, will be launched for the first time during the test mission.
The Starship second stage will be deployed into space by the rocket system, which is expected to launch from the company’s Starbase facilities in Texas. The Starship second stage will then enter the atmosphere of Earth and splash down dozens of miles off the coast of Hawaii.
The Weighty sponsor will endeavor an arrival in Texas close to its send-off site. Starship, according to SpaceX, will be a transportation system that can be used again and again to transport crew and cargo to orbit around Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
