SpaceX expects FAA approval for third Starship test in February

SpaceX is now heading toward the third flight of its mega-rocket Starship and the space rocket company is expecting to receive approval from FAA to conduct the test in February.

In a recent media briefing on NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration mission, Jessica Jensen, Vice President of Customer Operations and Integration at SpaceX said it is important to secure a license from FAA to test the new rockets.

She was then intrigued that the hardware would be ready by this month. Meanwhile, SpaceX has already completed the pre-flight engine testing for both Starship and the super heavy booster rocket.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all of the civil aviation in the country and administrated waters.

SpaceX Starship fires 6 Raptor Engine during Static Fire Test for 3rd Integrated Flight test

The FAA is also responsible for providing schedules for all space launch missions and ensuring public safety.

The approval for the first integrated Starship flight took months as the rocket finally liftoffed in April last year. FAA reduced the time of approval by half for the second flight approval and we saw that test in November 2023. However, the FAA required several mandatory changes Starship vehicle design to launch the second test flight.

Both of the past flights gathered some crucial data and completed a few milestones that may help SpaceX to achieve the orbit in the third test.

Jensen confirmed that her company is on track to receive the third license approval for a possible flight in February. However, she didn’t reveal any specific date for the time being.

Jensen also mentioned that SpaceX is preparing for a demonstration of propellant transfer capabilities requested by NASA as a part of its future moon mission. Read more about this maneuver in the article linked below.

Third SpaceX Starship test flight could demo real-time propellant transfer

(source – Spacenews)