SpaceX Starship Is 'Ready to Launch' Again

The FAA pushed back on CEO Elon Musk’s assertion that the world’s most powerful rocket is ready for a second test flight after an April explosion.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, September 07, 2023 at 02:44 PM ET

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

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claims Starship is "ready to launch," but the FAA states its mishap investigation into the April test flight's explosion is still open and has not yet authorized another launch.
The FAA's investigation stems from the prior Starship launch, which caused significant damage to the launchpad, scattered debris, and affected surrounding communities and protected wetlands.
SpaceX has made over 1,000 changes, including installing a new water deluge system, but the FAA is still reviewing the mishap report and identifying necessary corrective actions and license modifications.
Ongoing regulatory processes and an environmental lawsuit against the FAA and SpaceX could further delay Starship's next flight, impacting both SpaceX's broader space goals and NASA's Artemis III lunar mission.

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A challenge to a cage fight could soon be in the FAA’s future if the agency doesn’t wrap up its investigation into SpaceX Starship, a prototype of which exploded minutes after its initial test launch in May.

That’s been one of CEO Elon Musk’s retorts to those who stand in the way of his goal of commercial space dominance. And at the moment, the regulator may pose the greatest threat.