FAA Completes SpaceX Starship Safety Review As Environmental Assessment Remains Ongoing

The Federal Aviation Administration has completed a key part of its review of SpaceX's launch clearance, moving the company closer to its second launch.

Regulators announced Tuesday that they had completed a safety review into how Starship launches could impact public health and property. The review will evaluate "SpaceX's security organization, system security procedures, flight safety analysis, and digital risk requirements for launch, recovery, and vehicle disposal." This is stated in a statement by an FAA representative.

It is critical that regulators complete the safety assessment portion of the permit, especially since Starship's first orbital flight test ended in April with the vehicle exploding mid-flight.

However, this does not mean that regulators have given SpaceX the green light to launch. The agency is still awaiting the results of an environmental assessment that the FAA is conducting in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). This updated biological assessment, conducted under the Endangered Species Act, will examine potential impacts on the local environment.

The FWS and FAA began this review on October 19 and have 135 days to provide an updated review. One of their considerations is SpaceX's new flooding system, in which orbital launch pads installed by SpaceX are destroyed by the super-powerful launch vehicle engines.

SpaceX Starship is the most powerful rocket in human history. The super-heavy launch vehicle and nearly 400-foot upper stage (also known as the spacecraft) made its maiden flight on April 20. The launch vehicle did not complete phase separation, which triggered an automatic self-destruct command, causing the rocket to explode. in the Gulf of Mexico.

Meanwhile, SpaceX said it was preparing for a second orbital flight. Speaking to lawmakers earlier this month, Bill Gerstenmaier, SpaceX's vice president of design and flight reliability, said Starship has been ready for its next test flight for "more than a month."

Last week, SpaceX tweeted that it was using a wetsuit for the rover.

The FAA is officially ending its investigation into spacecraft malfunctions, but is still suspending SpaceX's responses to Elon Musk's inquiries...