SpaceX Receives FAA Authorisation for Starship Rocket Flights

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that SpaceX has been granted authorisation to fly its massive Starship rocket once again.

This comes after the Starship rocket broke up during its seventh test flight in January, causing debris to rain down over Turks and Caicos and forcing several commercial flights to be diverted or delayed.

Despite the ongoing mishap investigation required after the January explosion, the FAA granted the modified license to SpaceX, which has a private market valuation of $350 billion.

The space regulator has previously authorised flights by companies, including SpaceX and Rocket Lab, while mishap investigations were still underway, according to a spokesperson.

Last year, the FAA fined SpaceX $633,009 in civil penalties for alleged safety and procedural violations in the lead-up to two 2023 launches.

Read Also:SpaceX Starship Grounded During US Test Flight Investigation

Additionally, SpaceX was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for polluting waters in Texas in violation of the Clean Water Act.

Following these fines, Elon Musk threatened to sue the FAA for “regulatory overreach” but never filed a complaint.

Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, contributed nearly $300 million to help propel President Donald Trump back to the White House and is now a central figure in the administration.

As CEO of Tesla and owner of social media company X, Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is implementing significant staffing and budget cuts across the federal government and targeting regulatory agencies that oversee Musk’s businesses.

This role has given Musk and his DOGE staffers unprecedented access to federal computer systems and data, including within the FAA.

SpaceX has been selected to help overhaul the FAA’s air traffic control system, as announced by Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent a letter on Friday to FAA’s acting administrator Chris Rocheleau, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.

Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched, is critical to SpaceX’s ambitions.

When stacked on the Super Heavy booster, Starship stands 403 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter.

Since April 2023, SpaceX has flown the full Starship rocket system on seven spaceflight tests.

The company announced in a social media post that it aims to conduct its eighth Starship test flight as soon as Monday, March 3.

CNBC