24/7 Space News
ROCKET SCIENCE
US regulator greenlights Starship's next launch on Friday
Reuters Events SMR and Advanced Reactor 2025
US regulator greenlights Starship's next launch on Friday
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Nov 15, 2023

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday authorized SpaceX to carry out its second launch of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, after a first attempt in April ended in a spectacular explosion.

In a statement, the FAA said Elon Musk's company had now "met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements" following the mishap that marred the first orbital test flight of its next-generation spaceship.

"Targeting Friday, November 17 for Starship's second flight test," SpaceX posted on X shortly after the authorization. A two-hour launch window opens at 7:00 am local time (1300 GMT) from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.

Space watchers can follow a live webcast on X and SpaceX's website beginning thirty minutes before lift-off.

On April 20, SpaceX blew up the uncrewed rocket four minutes after it blasted off. Starship experienced multiple engine failures, and its first-stage booster did not separate from the spacecraft above it.

The rocket disintegrated into a ball of fire and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, sending a dust cloud over a town several miles (kilometers) away.

The FAA quickly launched an investigation, while conservation groups announced they would sue the regulator for not doing enough to protect the environment given the proximity of a vital habitat for protected species.

"We are concerned that the second launch will once again cause significant environmental harm," Jared Margolis, a lawyer for Center for Biological Diversity, told AFP, adding it was likely the groups would add a new claim to their lawsuit.

Starship, which stands 394 feet (120 meters) tall, produces 16.7 million pounds (74.3 Meganewtons) of thrust, more than double that of the Saturn V rockets used to send Apollo astronauts to the Moon.

Starship is designed to be fully reusable, with both stages meant to return to Earth, thus greatly reducing costs.

SpaceX foresees it as the vehicle that will one day carry cargo and crew to Mars, while NASA has contracted a version of Starship to function as a lander craft for its Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon by the middle of this decade.

Since the first test from Boca Chica, Starship's separation system has been overhauled, Elon Musk said during a conference in early October, adding that testing this new system would be the "riskiest part of the flight."

"I do want to set expectations not too high," the SpaceX CEO said.

The flight plan will be similar to the one in April. After separation, Starship is to continue to an altitude "a scooch below orbit," according to Musk, completing a near-circle of the Earth before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

Related Links
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ROCKET SCIENCE
SpaceX Achieves On-Time Launch for Ambitious Transporter-9 Mission
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 11, 2023
In a textbook launch, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket flawlessly lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, marking yet another successful step in the company's journey to revolutionize space travel. The launch, which occurred precisely within the planned 55-minute window at 10:49 a.m. PT, marks the ninth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission under the banner of Transporter-9. The Transporter-9 mission is particularly noteworthy for its diverse payload o ... read more

ROCKET SCIENCE
SpaceX Dragon docks with International Space Station carrying new gear

NSF funds annual solicitation seeking physical science research leveraging the ISS National Lab

GreenOnyx's Wanna Greens Makes Space Debut Aboard SpaceX CRS-29 Mission

Cosmic currents: Preserving water quality for astronauts during space exploration

ROCKET SCIENCE
Southern Launch to host HyImpulse's Pioneering SR75 launch in South Australia

Hypergolic rocket engine with advanced throttling tested by Sierra Space

SpaceX hopes for second Starship flight test next week

UTA developing more powerful rocket engines for space travel

ROCKET SCIENCE
Here Comes the Sun: Perseverance Readies for Solar Conjunction

NASA's Mars Missions Persist Through Solar Conjunction

The Long Wait

A green glow in the Martian night

ROCKET SCIENCE
China's BeiDou and Fengyun Satellites Elevate Global Weather Forecasting Capabilities

New scientific experimental samples from China's space station return to Earth

Shenzhou XVI crew return after 'very cool journey'

Chinese astronauts return to Earth with fruitful experimental results

ROCKET SCIENCE
ESA Embracing Commercial Space Stations with Airbus and Voyager Space Partnership

Spire Global launches innovative constellation management platform

A third pair of SES' O3b mPower satellites launches from Cape Canaveral

EBAD's NEA Payload Release Modules prove crucial in SpaceX Transporter-9 mission

ROCKET SCIENCE
ReOrbit's Report Highlights Software-First Satellites as Key Growth Drivers in Space Industry

D-Orbit Welcomes Marubeni Corporation as Lead Investor in Series C Funding

ILLUMA-T launches to the International Space Station

Airbus Introduces "Detumbler" Device to Address Satellite Tumbling in Low Earth Orbit

ROCKET SCIENCE
Extended habitability of exoplanets due to subglacial water

An ammonia trail to exoplanets

Bouncing comets could deliver building blocks for life to exoplanets

Webb detects water vapor, sulfur dioxide and sand clouds in the atmosphere of a nearby exoplanet

ROCKET SCIENCE
Fall into an ice giant's atmosphere

Juno finds Jupiter's winds penetrate in cylindrical layers

Salts and organics observed on Ganymede's surface by June

New jet stream discovered in Jupiter's upper atmosphere

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.