SpaceX’s Starship—the Most Powerful Rocket in History

Starship has been grounded since April after its maiden voyage ended in an explosion, but the massive spacecraft is getting closer to a second test flight.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, November 01, 2023 at 02:25 PM ET

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SpaceX’s Starship rocket and Super Heavy Booster are stacked on the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, launch pad. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has completed its safety review for SpaceX's Starship, a crucial step toward modifying its launch license after the rocket's inaugural flight ended in an explosion and caused significant damage to the launch pad and surrounding areas.
The agency is now conducting an environmental review with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, focusing on the impact of a newly installed water deluge system at Starbase, as another key requirement for Starship to fly again.
SpaceX and the FAA are facing a lawsuit from environmental groups challenging the adequacy of the initial environmental assessment, which could potentially require a more comprehensive review and delay future launches.

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Since its inaugural launch, SpaceX’s Starship rocket has been grounded while the FAA conducted a mishap investigation, which finally closed in September. This week, the agency completed another key step toward issuing a modified launch license for Starship, which would return the spacecraft to action.

“The FAA completed the safety review portion of the SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy license evaluation on October 31,” the agency told FLYING.