SpaceX Yet to File Paperwork in Starship Investigation, FAA Says

Elon Musk and SpaceX continue to provide hopeful updates on the next Starship flight, but red tape may delay the launch.

Jack Daleo

Monday, July 31, 2023 at 05:04 PM ET

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SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy booster positioned on the launchpad ahead of April’s test flight. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Starship remains grounded indefinitely by the FAA, well past Elon Musk's initial timeline, following its April explosion and an ongoing mishap investigation.
The FAA requires SpaceX to submit a final investigation report and implement extensive corrective actions before approving any future Starship flights, a process expected to take months.
Environmental organizations are suing the FAA (with SpaceX as co-defendant) over the initial launch approval, demanding a more thorough environmental impact statement, which could delay Starship launches for years and potentially impact NASA's Artemis 3 moon mission.

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“Six to eight weeks,” Elon Musk replied when asked about the next launch of SpaceX Starship after its maiden voyage went up in flames in April. Since Musk’s June 13 comment, SpaceX has tweeted that its Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 was transported to the company’s Starbase launchpad and shared updates on completed propellant load and flame deflector tests.