SpaceX criticizes FAA's decision to push back Starship launch to November

BOCA CHICA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Federal Aviation Administration has given SpaceX an estimated date of November for when it will approve a launch license for Starship's fifth test flight.

This is more than two months later than the mid-September timeframe the FAA previously targeted for Starship's next flight, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

According to SpaceX, the Starship and Super Heavy vehicles for the fifth flight have been ready to launch since the first week of August.

The company stated the delay from the FAA was not based on a new safety concern, "but instead driven by superfluous environmental analysis."

Due to the novelty of its aim in the fifth launch, SpaceX accepts that the proposed test comes with unique risks.

In its fifth test, which the company describes as its most ambitious yet, SpaceX's objective is to attempt to return the Super Heavy booster to the launch site and catch it while in the air —something that has never been accomplished in the history of rocketry.

"SpaceX goes to the maximum extent possible on every flight to ensure that while we are accepting risk to our own hardware, we accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring public safety," the statement reads.

SpaceX criticized the FAA's signal for a later launch date, citing false and misleading reporting built on "bad-faith hysterics" and "special interest groups" online that "present poorly constructed science as fact" as the root of the delay.

"Unfortunately, instead of focusing resources on critical safety analysis and collaborating on rational safeguards to protect both the public and the environment, the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd," SpaceX stated.

FAA response

ValleyCentral reached out to the FAA to get their side of the story.

A statement provided by the FAA to ValleyCentral states that SpaceX's current license authorizing the Starship Flight 4 launch also allows for multiple flights with the same vehicle configuration and mission profile. 

However, because SpaceX chose to modify both for the fifth test flight, a more in-depth review was needed.

"In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed. This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies," the FAA stated.

SpaceX must meet all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements before the FAA can authorize a launch.

According to the FAA, a final license determination for Starship Flight 5 is not expected before late November.