FAA Gives SpaceX Go Signal to Launch 3 More Starship Prototypes

The US Federal Aviation Administration has granted Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX preliminary clearance for three more Starship spacecraft tests in an unprecedented step.

FAA said the upcoming SN15 test could launch as soon as this week, which has already dispatched an investigator to SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site. However, future approvals of the SN16 and SN17 tests are contingent on a satisfactory SN15 flight. The regulator advises that "mistakes" will necessitate SpaceX to take corrective safety measures.

(Photo: Red Huber/Getty Images)
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - NOVEMBER 13: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule are seen on launch pad 39A on November 13, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The approval is unusual in that the FAA has already accepted SpaceX tests one at a time, despite regulators' criticism of the company's testing activities. For example, the FAA had previously sanctioned Musk for launching the Starship SN8 test without a valid license in December 2020. Although the test was uncrewed, it exploded, and no property damage was discovered.

However, the FAA claims that it has accepted the tests in bulk this time because SpaceX followed the rules and completed the FAA risk calculations needed for acceptance. As a result, SpaceX can only make minor modifications to the prototypes for the next few tests.

"The FAA has authorized the next three launches of the SpaceX Starship prototype," the government organization said in an official statement. "The agency approved multiple launches because SpaceX was making few changes to the launch vehicle and relied on the FAA's approved methodology to calculate the risk to the public. The FAA authorized the launches on Wednesday, April 28.

SpaceX, NASA Connection

Another aspect that may have played a role is that SpaceX recently won a $2.89 billion contract from NASA to use the Starship as a Moon lander. This means that the success of SpaceX's Starship is now crucial to NASA's Artemis mission of landing the next wave of Americans on the Moon.

Since winning the deal, none of SpaceX's Starship designs are yet to pass their checks. The SN10 test, which came the nearest, exploded minutes after landing. So NASA most likely wants the Starship to remain alive for the duration of the Artemis flight.

This new pressure to finish the Starship may force Musk to follow NASA and FAA laws. Moreover, since the two other aerospace companies bidding for the Moon lander contract - Blue Origin and Dynetics - are challenging the contract award, scrutiny is extreme.

"In NASA's own words, it has made a 'high risk' selection," Blue Origin told SpaceNews.

ALSO READ: Lunar Lander Gateway: NASA Shares How It Looks Like

How NASA Changes The Starship

However, for the time being, the deal has been awarded, and the experiments are continuing. The upgraded SN15 is equipped with Raptor engines that have been tested twice in less than 24 hours. Scientia Plus, a space education YouTube site, said the SN15 has additional improvements such as an external methane manifold and hundreds of heat shield tiles.

With an FAA investigator on-site and Musk tweeting that the evaluation will take place this week, it's safe to assume that all obstacles have been lifted for the test.

SpaceX hasn't said what modifications are being made to the SN16 and SN17 rockets for testing after this week. However, the SN16 is still being assembled at the Boca Chica plant.

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