SpaceX cleared for Nov. 18 launch
After months of delays, SpaceX has finally been cleared to launch its Starship rocket on November 18. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the company a license for the launch on November 15, after SpaceX met all of the agency's safety, environmental, and financial responsibility requirements.
The launch is scheduled to take place from SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas, during a two-hour window that opens at 8 a.m. EST. The Starship will ascend to an altitude of about 100 kilometers before returning to Earth and landing vertically.
This will be the second test flight of the Starship, which is designed to be fully reusable and capable of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The first test flight took place in May, but it ended in a fiery explosion shortly after the rocket landed.
SpaceX has since made a number of changes to the Starship design, including adding a water deluge system to the launch pad to reduce the risk of pad damage. The company has also said that it has implemented "well over" 1,000 upgrades and improvements to the rocket.
The successful launch of the Starship would be a major milestone for SpaceX and for the space industry as a whole. It would pave the way for the development of a new generation of reusable rockets that could make space travel more affordable and accessible.
In addition to the launch, SpaceX is also planning to conduct a number of other tests in the coming months, including a test of the Starship's heat shield and a test of the rocket's ability to refuel in orbit.
If all of the tests are successful, SpaceX could be ready to send its first astronauts to the Moon on a Starship as early as 2025.
Here are some additional details about the upcoming launch:
- The launch window is open from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. EST.
- The launch will be streamed live on SpaceX's website.
- The launch will also be visible from parts of South Texas.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.