Second Starship could launch in mid-November, FAA approval still pending

On Friday afternoon, SpaceX updated its website to announce that the second integrated flight test (IFT-2) of its giant Starship “could launch as soon as mid-November with pending regulatory approval”, which may be around November 13.

Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it had completed the Starship-Super Heavy safety review. FAA said in a statement to Spacefligtnow that “The environmental review is the last major element to complete before the FAA makes a license determination”.

SpaceX will debut a number of new improvements to the existing design that failed during the April 2023 launch including the new hot-stage separation system and an electronic Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system.