As SpaceX nears the final stages of preparing its Starship rocket for the second orbital test flight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that the launch might be delayed by months in the worst case scenario. SpaceX's first test launch came in April this year, and it was followed by rather dire predictions by some quarters that had speculated that Starship might be grounded for the rest of the year, particularly due to the extensive launch pad damage that had left a crater at the site after the rocket lifted off.
However, true to form, SpaceX rapidly rebuilt the launch pad and completed most of the upgrades to the pad and the rocket after its mishap investigation conducted with the FAA. Now, the future of Starship depends on the FAA's review of the Starship launch license and the agency's evaluation of the changes made by SpaceX in line with the environmental assessment of the rocket and the launch site.
SpaceX's Starship Might See Environmental Reevaluation Delay If FAA Determines That Another License Is Required
The past week saw a flurry of activities related to Starship - the largest rocket in the world. SpaceX de-stacked Starship at the launch site amidst speculation that the vehicle's flight termination system was one of the final few components that needed to be installed before it was ready to fly. SpaceX's Kathy Leuders confirmed the bit about the flight termination system in a talk in Boca Chica, Texas, where she shared that her company was working closely with the FAA to ensure that Starship meets all the regulatory requirements before launch.
However, as the tempo began to build towards the Starship test flight and Ms. Leuders shared that she was optimistic that the rocket could fly as soon as next month, the FAA was quick to urge caution. In a Starship update sent over the weekend, the agency outlined that it might have to undertake a detailed environment review of the Starship program again. This process had taken months to complete before the April test flight and it involves analyzing the impact of the rocket on its surroundings and wildlife.
The FAA's latest Starship update shared:
SpaceX conducted a test flight of the Starship/Super Heavy at Boca Chica, TX on April 20, 2023. As a result of that launch, SpaceX completed a mishap investigation with FAA oversight; this investigation analyzed the launch, mishap events, and corrective actions. Before it is authorized to conduct a second Starship/Super Heavy launch, SpaceX must obtain a modified license from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental, and other regulatory requirements. As part of that license application determination process, the FAA will review new environmental information, including changes related to the launch pad, as well as other proposed vehicle and flight modifications. The FAA will complete a Written Reevaluation (WR) to the 2022 Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) evaluating the new environmental information, including Endangered Species Act consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If the FAA determines through the WR process that the contents of the PEA do not remain valid in light of the changes proposed for Flight 2, additional environmental review will be required. Accordingly, the FAA has not authorized SpaceX’s proposed Flight 2.
This makes it clear that it is up to the FAA to decide whether the changes that SpaceX has made to its rocket can be cleared in the ambit of the existing environmental review or if a new review is needed. An additional review can take quite a long time, and with only three months remaining until the close of the year, it may very well push out Starship test flight 2 to 2024.
When pressed further about a potential timeline for the regulatory review, the FAA shared with Wccftech in a statement:
SpaceX must obtain a modified license from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental, and other regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch. The FAA is optimistic it may complete the safety review of the license application by the end of October. The modifications SpaceX is making to Starship program are also subject to an additional environmental review process. In August, as part of the environmental process, the FAA submitted a draft update of the Biological Assessment to U.S. Fish and Wildlife for review and requested consultation under the Endangered Species Act.
Judging by this, the approval process for the next Starship flight is segregated into environmental and safety, and the environmental aspect of the review can cause a slippage. An agency official had also shared earlier this month that it was 'optimistic' about concluding the review process in October.
The Starship program's initial environmental assessment that had paved the way for a launch license for the April flight was made of five consultations. Four were delayed from their planned timelines, and the consultation under the Endangered Species Act saw the FAA work with the Department of Interior and the Department of Commerce. The Fish and Wildlife division comes under the former, and the review under the Endangered Species Act had taken ten months to complete after a delay of four months.
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