SpaceX say it ’s been ready to plunge the mighty Starship rocket on its fifth test flight since former August , and that it had been expecting the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) to give it the unripened lightness for the flight to take place in mid - September . But it ’s now come forth that the FAA is unbelievable to grant a launching license until late November at the earliest .
SpaceX is profoundly upset about the ontogeny , pick apart the FAA in a lengthy web log Wiley Post on Tuesday over the time that it ’s taking to grant a license .
“ We late received a launch licence date estimate of late November from the FAA , ” SpaceXsaid in the berth . “ This is a more than two - month delay to the previously communicated particular date of mid - September . This delay was not free-base on a new guard concern , but alternatively force by supererogatory environmental analytic thinking . ”
It added : “ Environmental regulations and palliation dish a imposing aim , stem from common - sensation safeguards to enable forward motion while forestall undue impact to the environs . However , with the licensing process being drawn out for Flight 5 , we find ourselves delayed for unreasonable and exasperating reasons . ”
SpaceX said it was “ stuck in a realism where it take longer to do the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the actual hardware , ” adding that this “ should never hap ” and “ instantly threatens America ’s position as the leader in space . ”
NASA is hold off on SpaceX to in full test the fresh Starship rocket so that it can practice it for Artemis missions to the lunar month in the add up long time . Amodified interpretation of the upper - phase spacecraftis set to put the first humans on the lunar surface since 1972 in the Artemis III mission that ’s currently scheduled for 2026 . The Starship ’s fifth mental testing flying will let in the first - ever attempt by SpaceX to “ catch”the returning first - stage Super Heavy rocketusing gargantuan mechanically skillful arm .
In a command toSpace.com , the FAA has repeated its assertion that SpaceX “ must suffer all base hit , environmental and other licensing essential prior to FAA launch authorisation . ”
It explained that SpaceX ’s current license authorizing the Starship ’s fourth flight “ also allows for multiple flight of the same vehicle form and delegation profile , ” but say that “ SpaceX chose to modify both for its proposed Starship Flight 5 launch , which triggered a more in - astuteness review . ”
It articulate that SpaceX had also submitted new info in mid - August “ detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will get over a larger expanse than previously reviewed , ” impart that “ this requires the FAA to confab with other agencies , ” and it will therefore necessitate more time than earlier expected .
