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SpaceX Starship Rocket Won't Lift Off the Launch Pad Until March, FAA Says

It looks like SpaceX will have to wait another two months until it attempts to launch its Starship rocket from Boca Chica, Texas. On Tuesday, December 28, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the new target date for issuing its final environmental review was moved to February 28.
SpaceX Starship rocket 6 photos
Photo: SpaceX
First firing of a Raptor vacuum engine on the Starship SN20 prototypeFirst firing of a Raptor vacuum engine on the Starship SN20 prototypeFirst firing of a Raptor vacuum engine on the Starship SN20 prototypeFirst firing of a Raptor vacuum engine on the Starship SN20 prototypeFirst firing of a Raptor vacuum engine on the Starship SN20 prototype
Starship is a deep-space transportation system designed to carry people and cargo to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and eventually Mars. The system consists of a Super Heavy booster and a spacecraft, which is also called Starship.

Earlier this summer, preparations for the first orbital test flight of the Starship SN20 prototype signaled that the rocket was getting closer to leaving our skies. The spacecraft was mated with the booster at Starbase, the company's facility located near the South Texas village of Boca Chica. The fully-stacked vehicle, which stands 395 ft tall (120 m), is now awaiting FAA assessment of the launch site.

SpaceX plans to conduct the first-ever orbital test flight of a Starship system from Starbase as soon as possible. However, that won't be possible until the FAA assessment is completed. This fall, the FAA began an environmental assessment of SpaceX's orbital launch activities, meant to determine whether the Super Heavy booster can be launched from Texas without affecting the surrounding environment due to its massive force.

On September 17, the agency released a draft review, inviting the public to comment about it until November 1. Initially, the agency planned to release the final review on December 31, allowing SpaceX to proceed with its launch at the beginning of 2022. However, the FAA announced that it would take at least two more months to complete the assessment.

"However, due to the high volume of comments submitted on the Draft PEA, discussions and consultation efforts with consulting parties, the FAA is announcing an update to the schedule. The FAA now plans to release the Final PEA on February 28, 2022.", says the agency in a statement.


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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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