SpaceX Starship Faces US Review in Step to Resuming Launches
The US Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a formal review of the upgrades SpaceX has made to its Starship launch system, one of the final regulatory steps before flights can resume following its explosive April debut.
The agency said in an emailed statement Thursday that it initiated the review — a consultation under the Endangered Species Act — with the Federal Aviation Administration on Oct. 19. The FWS now has as long as 135 days to create an updated biological opinion about how Starship and its launches impact the local environment, however the agency does not “expect to take the full amount of time,” a representative said in the statement.
Even as the review unfolds, Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has been gearing up for Starship's next test flight. The launch system is the multibillion-dollar centerpiece in Musk's ambitions to carry cargo and people to the moon and — eventually — to Mars.
A SpaceX executive told a Senate subcommittee hearing on Oct. 18 that Starship has been ready to fly again for more than a month, but is being held back by the lengthy launch licensing process.
A SpaceX representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Vehicle is ready for the second test flight of a fully integrated Starship, pending regulatory approval,” SpaceX wrote in a social media post on Oct. 24.
The focus of the review revolves around SpaceX's addition of a water deluge system to the launchpad located at the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The deluge system sprays significant amounts of water during liftoff, to lessen the heat, forces and gasses the colossal rocket unleashes.
The FAA oversaw a mishap investigation after it grounded the rocket in the wake of the company's
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