SpaceX’s next Starship megarocket is officially licensed to fly.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday (June 4) issued SpaceX a launch license for its Starship Flight 4 test mission, which is currently scheduled to lift off as early as Thursday, June 6, from the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica. Beach in South Texas.
“The FAA has approved a license permit for SpaceX Starship Flight 4,” FAA officials wrote in a statement. “SpaceX has met all safety and other licensing requirements for this test flight.”
Related: SpaceX aims for the next Starship mega-rocket launch on June 6 (photo)
As the name suggests, SpaceX’s Starship Flight 4 mission is the fourth test flight of the company’s Starship and Super Heavy launch vehicle. Standing nearly 400 feet tall when fully assembled, they are the largest and most powerful rocket in the world. SpaceX designed Starship as a fully reusable launch system with ultra-heavy lift for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. For example, NASA’s Artemis program has selected Starship as the lander that will carry Artemis 3 astronauts to the Moon’s south pole in 2026.
But before Starship can fly to the moon, SpaceX needs to prove that the shiny stainless steel rocket can get into orbit.
The company has conducted three test flights so far: A failed debut in April 2023 that destroyed SpaceX’s launch pad as well as the rocket; a second flight in November of that year, which also failed to reach space; and the most recent launch of Starship Flight 3 on March 18 of this year, the first to enter space before the vehicle and its Super Heavy booster were lost before reaching their final destinations.
After each Starship launch test, the FAA conducted time-consuming investigations of the failure and issued recommendations that SpaceX had to address before each subsequent launch attempt. For Starship Flight 4, SpaceX and the FAA agreed on a different approach.
“As part of its license modification application, SpaceX proposed three scenarios involving starship entry that would not require a vehicle loss investigation. The FAA approved the scenarios as test damage exceptions after evaluating them as part of a flight safety and flight risk analysis and confirming , that they meet public safety requirements,” FAA officials said in a statement.
The agreement indicates that SpaceX has identified three likely ways its Starship or Super Heavy could fail (such as loss on reentry), which the company and the FAA agreed would not require a lengthy investigation. These three scenarios did not appear to be detailed in the FAA’s 6-page launch license.
For Flight 4, SpaceX aims to fly its starship and Super Heavy booster on a similar trajectory to its Test Flight 3, a mission that would bring the Starship rover up to orbital speed and then return the ship over the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, the Super Heavy booster is expected to return toward South Texas and make a controlled “landing” in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The fourth flight test turns our focus from achieving orbit to demonstrating the ability to return and reuse the Starship and Super Heavy,” SpaceX wrote in a mission statement. The primary objectives will be to perform a landing burn and mild splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. with the Super Heavy booster and achieving controlled starship entry.”
In recent weeks, SpaceX has conducted a series of refueling tests for both the Flight 4 Starship and its Super Heavy booster. Both vehicles apparently passed with flying colours.
“Starship is ready to fly,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (June 3).