Reports of FAA green lighting launch license
This is it, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. According to two reports, SpaceX’s Starship could be getting a launch license from the FAA within two weeks. This is the final hurdle before SpaceX can legally launch its massive rocket from South Texas on its first orbital flight test.
DutchSatellites, a Netherlands’ National Space Museum worker who usually tweets about space history and the occasional insight into the industry, shared that FAA was in the final stages of finishing its launch license. They also claimed, “SpaceX should have it in hand in under a fortnight.” For you who don’t know what that means, it means within two weeks, how everything comes full circle.
This was corroborated by Christian Davenport, space reporter for The Washington Post (and don’t forget the author of The Space Barons). Davenport stated, “unless there’s an unforeseen problem, SpaceX should have the launch license for the Starship debut launch by April 14 or thereabouts.” That is two weeks from tomorrow for those about to switch to a calendar to do the math.
Does this mean Starship orbital launch in two weeks?
Just because SpaceX has a launch license doesn’t mean they will be 100% ready to launch immediately. However, the company has been hard at work for over a year preparing for this launch, and the rocket stages, Booster 7 and Ship 24, have been thoroughly tested for its attempt.
There’s a high likelihood that this orbital launch attempt will take several tries. Like any new rocket in development, there are plenty of unknowns, and even with all the testing SpaceX has done, once you attempt to lift off from Earth, all cards are off the table.
Adding a launch license from the FAA is an excellent sign that Starship is ready to launch. Once the rocket is fully stacked, SpaceX can proceed with attempting to launch.
The other week, Musk tweeted SpaceX should have a launch license from the FAA in a few weeks, and if all goes to plan, his guess was a launch the third week of April. The joke being the third week of April contains April 20, 4/20. He has said before that he never tries to line up with these numbers, but they just always come calling to him.
