FAA gives OK for SpaceX's Starship test flight from Texas
SpaceX has cleared the final hurdle for launching its new giant Starship from Texas as early as next week on a first test flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has cleared the final hurdle for launching its new giant Starship from Texas as early as next week on a first test flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued the long-awaited license on Friday. SpaceX announced that Starship — the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket — could soar as soon as Monday.
No people or satellites will be aboard the 394-foot (120-meter) rocket. SpaceX will attempt to send the spacecraft atop the colossal booster around the world, from the southern tip of Texas all the way to Hawaii. The first stage will be discarded in the Gulf of Mexico and the spacecraft into the Pacific. No landings will be attempted for this debut.
It will be the first launch attempt of a full-size Starship, made of shiny stainless steel and powered by methane-fueled engines.
