SpaceX COO and President Gwynne Shotwell says the orbital launch of Super Heavy Starship should be June or July from Boca Chica, Texas, pending FAA approvals. Shotwell said SpaceX views human #Mars exploration and nuclear propulsion systems as “inevitable”.
NEWS: #Starship is ready to fly again in June or July from Boca Chica, Texas, @SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said, pending FAA approvals. The company views human #Mars exploration and nuclear propulsion systems as "inevitable," she told an engineering group Thursday. #Space
— justinbachman (@justinbachman) May 6, 2022
The FAA has revealed that SpaceX has completed four out of five processes for the Environmental Assessment. However, even with all Environmental Assessments complete this will not guarantee that the FAA will issue a launch license. SpaceX’s application must also meet FAA safety, risk, and financial responsibility requirements.
Once Section 4(f) is behind them, the FAA and SpaceX and the Final PEA completion needs the approval of all relevant paperwork. The FAA’s targeted completion date, currently May 31st, 2022, may be achievable.
The Section 106 Review for Starship from Boca Chica is complete. The FAA appears to be on track to release the Environmental Assessment by the end of the month.https://t.co/x0z4ux0iVF pic.twitter.com/2aDy4FLXOW
— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) May 6, 2022
In early April, an apparent operator error significantly damaged a large part installed inside the booster. After two and a half weeks of repairs, Booster 7 returned to the launch site on May 6th and completed another ‘cryoproof’ test.
Starship 24 is being completed with many design changes.
A few more shots of fully stacked Starship 24 with the new payload door visible:
~ 7:30 am 5/10/22 pic.twitter.com/dqUCWxrhRh
— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) May 10, 2022
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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