SpaceX recently received word from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) that it is temporarily grounding the Starship rocket for two months before it is permitted to fly again. However, while SpaceX accepts the new estimate by the FAA for a late November launch license, it is eager for the eleventh month of the year to come as it has ambitious plans for the stainless steel reusable rocket.
SpaceX is Planning an Ambitious November Starship Test Flight
SpaceX
As quoted by SpaceX from Nicki Minaj's 2012 global hit, "Starships are Meant to Fly," the company shared in an update that it is planning an ambitious test flight for Starship come late November. This will mark the stainless steel rocket and its first stage booster's Flight 5, a launch test that would attempt to catch Super Heavy in mid-air as it returns to the planet.
This would be the first time that SpaceX would attempt this in an actual test flight, with the Mechazilla and its chopsticks to be put to the test.
It was revealed by SpaceX that this specific feat took years for its engineers to prepare for, and it has been ready for this since early August.
FAA Temporarily Grounded Starship, No Flights For Now
For now, Starship is grounded.
According to SpaceX, its plans were halted by the FAA and it was first revealed to them that this was because of safety concerns-initially delaying Flight 5 to mid-September.
However, the latest decision by the FAA extends this waiting time because of "superfluous environmental analysis" said SpaceX, ultimately leading to a new launch license date estimate for late November.
SpaceX's Progression with the Starship
Elon Musk and SpaceX first announced Starship back in 2012, but it was only after seven years that the company was able to unveil its prototype to the public. That being said, from 2020 to 2022, SpaceX was only able to perform static fire tests, short flight tests, and practicing its flip maneuver for the Starship.
It was not until mid-2023 when SpaceX gained its launch license to test the fully-stacked Starship with Super Heavy, but its first mission infamously exploded shortly after taking flight. SpaceX was then criticized for Starship's environmental effects, initially facing a lawsuit that concerned wildlife advocates complained about.
The second and third flights of Starship also ended in dramatic explosions, losing both rockets after their liftoff from the ground.
However, it was able to turn its fortune around with Starship and Super Heavy's fourth test flight which was celebrated by SpaceX for its successful mission, retrieving both spacecraft afterward.
Despite all the roadblocks against the private space company, SpaceX is looking at the positive side of things, already gearing up for its late November flight, set to be the most ambitious launch to date.
