SpaceX’s next Starship giant rocket has now received its flight license.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a launch license for SpaceX’s upcoming rocket on Tuesday (December 17) Starship Flight 7 test flightclearing the way for the company’s next launch of the world’s largest rocket from South Texas. The launch license was issued after several launch licenses starship Engine testing by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation Checking the flight readiness of its seventh spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket booster.
“The FAA continues to improve the efficiency of its license determination activities to meet the needs of the commercial space transportation industry,” FAA Deputy Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Kelvin B. Coleman said in a statement. “The license modification we issued well in advance of Starship Flight 7’s launch date is another example of the FAA’s commitment to safe space transportation.”
SpaceX has not yet set a target date for a Flight 7 Starship test launch from the Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach, but with about two weeks left in the year, the flight will most likely be in early or mid-January 2025. Officials in Cameron County, Texas, the area that includes Starbase, have not announced any road closures for the remainder of December. Such road closure notices usually accompany SpaceX’s upcoming Starship launch tests.
As the name suggests, Flight 7 will be SpaceX’s seventh major test launch of its Starship giant rocket. The company has conducted a series of brief “static fire” engine tests on the Starship upper stage vehicle and Super Heavy booster, but they have not yet been stacked together for flight.
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When fully assembled, the six-engine Starship spacecraft and 33-engine Super Heavy booster almost stand 400 feet (122 meters), making it the tallest and most powerful rocket in the world. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation Successfully captured its Flight 5 Super Heavy booster In October this year, the giant metal “chopsticks” on the Starbase launch pad.
period Flight test flight on November 6thSpaceX skipped booster capture due to sensor issues but successfully soft-landed its Starship spacecraft in the Indian Ocean, capturing stunning splashdown video. The Starship Flight 7 test is expected to recreate the ship’s landing in the ocean, as well as another attempt to capture the Super Heavy booster.
“The Flight 7 mission brief includes launch of the Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle from Boca Chica, Texas, return to the Super Heavy booster launch site and attempted capture via launch tower, and then Starship water landing in the Indian Ocean, Western Australia vehicle,” FAA officials wrote in the license update.
SpaceX designed Starship and Super Heavy to be a fully reusable heavy-lift transportation system for launching large numbers of payloads into orbit or to the moon, Mars or beyond. The company has conducted six Starship test flights since April 2023.
NASA chooses Starship spacecraft for landing artemis 3 With astronauts on the moon in 2027, SpaceX has sold at least two Starship flights to private customers including U.S. billionaires Jared Isaacman. Isaacman booked the first manned flight on the Starship spacecraft as part of his plan North Star Project Of SpaceX’s three flights, the first was launched in September this year, including World’s first private spacewalk.
Isaacman also provided funding for SpaceX’s 2021 Inspiration4 private space flight and was appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as NASA administrator if confirmed next year.
SpaceX hopes to expand its Starship launch test activities in 2025 to conduct up to 24 test flights. The company said it would take at least eight Starship launches, perhaps more, to fuel a spacecraft to reach the moon, and the new space refueling technology will be needed.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk first unveiled the Starship concept in 2016. Launching the first interstellar spacecraft to Mars in 2026.