SpaceX’s next-generation Starship atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket is ready for its third launch from the Boca Chica launcher during an uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, on March 13, 2024.
Joe Skipper | Reuters
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing to launch its third Starship test flight as early as Thursday morning, after receiving approval from federal regulators for the test.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a waiver to SpaceX on Wednesday launch license the corporate had to fly its latest Starship prototype.
The FAA concluded that SpaceX “met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements.”
SpaceX is targeting a launch window between 8 a.m. and 9:50 a.m. ET on Thursday. The company plans to broadcast the launch live, with the webcast starting half-hour before the window opens.
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The company intends to construct on last yr’s flights of Starship prototypes, the second and newest of which launched into space in November. The test flights yielded mixed results, with each rockets flying for several minutes and achieving certain milestones before ultimately being destroyed due to problems.
SpaceX and the FAA conducted an investigation into problems with the November launch, which resulted in the corporate making changes to the monster rocket ahead of the third attempt.
Additionally, SpaceX said Starship’s third flight goals to exhibit recent capabilities, including opening and shutting the spacecraft’s doors, transferring fuel in-flight as a part of a NASA demonstration, and submerging within the Indian Ocean.
