SpaceX Continues Preparations for Fifth Starship Test Flight Despite No FAA Launch Approval in Sight

SpaceXcontinued to prepare Friday for the fifth test flight of its Starship launcher despite growing tensions with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the federal agency responsible for giving the green light to launches.

What happened: SpaceX announced Friday that the fifth flight’s launch vehicle has been moved to the launch pad at its Starbase spaceport.

SpaceX has yet to receive the green light from the FAA for its next flight. The company said earlier this month that Starship was ready for its fifth flight test since the first week of August, but that the project had been postponed due to “frivolous” and “patently absurd” licensing issues.
“Unfortunately, we continue to be stuck in a reality where it takes longer to complete government paperwork to authorize a rocket to launch than it does to design and build the hardware itself,” SpaceX said.

The company said it recently received an estimated launch date for the fifth flight from the FAA in late November, a two-month delay from the previously communicated date of mid-September.

SpaceX said the delay was not due to a new safety issue but rather to “superfluous” environmental analysis, including concerns about the starbase’s negative impact on local wildlife. The company has disputed the allegations, however.

Why it matters: Earlier this week, SpaceX also tested the engines of its Starship launcher for its sixth flight test.

“Flight 5 is built and ready to fly. Flight 6 will be ready to fly before Flight 5 is even approved by the FAA!” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Thursday.

The Starship’s last test flight took place in June. For the next flight, SpaceX’s goal is to recover the Starship’s launch stage at Starbase using the launch tower’s mechanical arms, which is a significant demonstration of Starship’s reusability.

Earlier this week, the FAA also proposed a $633,009 fine against SpaceX for allegedly failing to meet its licensing requirements on two launches in 2023.

SpaceX Vice President of Legal Affairs David Harris then sent a letter addressed to key members of the US Congress, including Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Democrat-California), Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) denying FAA allegations of regulatory violations while alleging the federal agency lacks the resources to review commercial spaceflight operating licenses.

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