SpaceX was recently cleared to continue its rocket project in Texas after receiving approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, it faces another hurdle and this time from NASA.
The American space agency wants Elon Musks''s company to make sure that its plans of launching the next-generation Starship rocket from Florida would not put nearby launch infrastructures essential to the International Space Station (ISS) at risk.
In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, on April 27, 2022 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX's Hurdle For Its Backup Launchpad
A senior NASA official told Reuters that they do not want SpaceX to blow up on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The new hurdle could potentially delay the launch of the Starship rocket, which has already faced delays due to environmental assessment by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Musk wants the public to see that the Starship rocket can successfully reach orbit, a pivotal milestone that until now has not yet been achieved. The rocket is seen as humanity's path to Mars and SpaceX's proposals to NASA address concerns that include the plan to take American astronauts from Florida. However, it will take months to get the space agency's approval.
SpaceX's existing launch pad in Florida called Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center is the only pad approved to launch Crew Dragon Capsule. NASA relies on those missions to ferry astronauts to the ISS. NASA officials have expressed concerns about the possibility of the Starship exploding since some of its early test flights did not end well.
Kathy Lueders, NASA's space operations chief, told SpaceX that it would be devastating if a similar incident happened at 39A, especially because it could affect ISS launch infrastructures. As of writing, SpaceX has not released any comment yet.
Building Launchpad for SpaceX's Explosive Rockets
Science Times previously reported the recent success of SpaceX in securing a license from the FAA to continue its rocket project in Texas. The decision was announced Monday after months of debate. However, the approval also included requirements for SpaceX to follow, especially in easing environmental impacts on public beaches and wildlife surrounding the facility.
Starship rocket plays an important role in sending back astronauts to the Moon, a project NASA left off in the 1970s and building a human civilization on Mars. However, its previous attempts at flight tests did not end up well, so an explosion is not exactly out of the question.
Musk's company is actively constructing a Starship launchpad several hundred feet away from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center as an alternative to the primary launchpad for Starship in Texas. Leuders said that SpaceX is also investing in making 39A more resilient for a possible explosion in an effort to work with them.
Now, it's only a matter of time until Musk's space company conducts its first-ever orbital flight test and NASA will be watching it with gritted teeth, hoping it will not blast nearby infrastructures.
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