Starship’s next launch attempt is about a month away at best

We are still awaiting word from the FAA on when SpaceX will be allowed to launch its next Starship rocket. While excitement from earlier this month might have seemed it was just around the corner but according to the FAA, we could be another month or more away.

SpaceX faces another environmental hurdle before launch

Two weeks ago the FAA announced it closed the mishap investigation into Starship’s first flight in April. The launch by SpaceX terms was a success however it failed to make it past stage separation. SpaceX brought forward 63 corrective actions that it has to implement, the majority of which they have already completed.

I feel like I have to note this for context that while SpaceX was the one that created the list of actions, Elon Musk responded to the FAA’s social media post asking what the actions were. Yeah SpaceX is a big company but maybe being the CEO of three major companies is starting to get to him a bit? Or it was some joke we all missed… anyways, I continue.

While the mishap investigation was closed, the FAA made it clear that a separate review is still underway before Starship can launch again. That hasn’t stopped SpaceX from continuing on as planned, completing a full stack of its rocket down at Starbase.

In a statement last Friday the FAA announced that SpaceX would have to undergo an environmental review of some changes being made to the launch site before launch. This will be overseen by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is a complete “wild card” according to the FAA on how that will play into timing.

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FAA could be complete its part next month

Kelvin Coleman, FAA associate administrator for commercial space transportation, said in an interview Monday that its safety review could wrap up mid to late October. This is the FAA part of approving SpaceX for a second launch.

However, before it can sign off on an amended launch license, Fish and Wildlife would need to have its environmental review finished and with no issues. One big item the review will look into will be the water deluge system installed between now and last April’s launch.

While planned, the system wasn’t included in the original environmental assessment performed by the FAA and SpaceX. However, after April’s launch left a giant crater beneath the launch pad and spit chucks of rock and concrete into surrounding marshes, dunes, and the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX installed one and has tested it several times.

“That piece is a little bit of a wild card,” Coleman said, “We’re hoping that piece will wrap up somewhere in proximity to the safety review.”

NASA is also hoping this review doesn’t delay Starship’s next launch much further as Starship has a lot of systems to test before it’s used as the lander for the agency’s Artemis 3 mission. Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, has previously stated that any delay to Starship puts the December 2025 date for Artemis 3 in question.

To be fair, that 2025 launch date has a lot of other factors that could delay it but Starship is the most important item to be ready for that mission to be a lunar landing rather than another trip around the Moon.

Right now SpaceX has destacked its second Starship rocket as it gets ready to hear word from the FAA and Fish and Wildlife for when it can launch again.