Exciting News: FAA Approves Next Test Flight for SpaceX’s Starship – What You Need to Know!

AUSTIN, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved SpaceX to move ahead with its next Starship flight. This comes while the investigation into the previous flight’s failure is still ongoing.

On February 28, the FAA announced that SpaceX could launch Flight 8 as early as March 3. They confirmed that a detailed safety review was completed, allowing the Starship to resume operations, even while the investigation into the January 16 Flight 7 incident continues.

During Flight 7, the upper stage lost telemetry almost nine minutes after takeoff. The vehicle broke apart, scattering debris over the Turks and Caicos Islands. Thankfully, there were no injuries, and damage was minimal.

SpaceX stated on February 24 that it had wrapped up its investigation into the Flight 7 incident. They found that a “harmonic response” much stronger than expected harmed propellant lines in the vehicle’s upper section. This damage caused leaks, leading to fires that forced most of the six Raptor engines to shut down. The vehicle activated its flight termination system about three minutes after the telemetry loss.

While the FAA didn’t provide specific reasons for keeping the mishap investigation open, SpaceX had initially planned for a launch on February 28 before pushing it to March 3.

The FAA also updated SpaceX’s launch license for the upcoming Flight 8. This update, issued on February 26, includes provisions for both suborbital and orbital flights, which were not part of earlier versions. This indicates that SpaceX may soon attempt an orbital flight.

The revised license clarifies what constitutes an orbital mission, detailing activities from liftoff to payload deployment or reaching a stable orbit. It also includes reentry procedures, outlining how SpaceX plans to ensure safety during the landing process.

Additionally, the updated license changes when pre-flight operations begin. Instead of starting with system installations days ahead of launch, it now starts with a go/no-go decision about 75 minutes before the rocket is fueled and ready for liftoff.

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FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation,SpaceX,Starship