The FAA gives SpaceX the green light for its second Starship mission.

The FAA gives SpaceX the green light for its second Starship mission.
The FAA gives SpaceX the green light for its second Starship mission.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration has given Elon Musk's SpaceX the green light to launch the second attempt of its tall Starship rocket, as announced on Wednesday.
  • The second flight test of Starship is scheduled for Friday, November 17, as announced by SpaceX on social media platform X following the greenlight.
TOPSHOT - The SpaceX Starship lifts off from the launchpad during a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023. - The rocket successfully blasted off at 8:33 am Central Time (1333 GMT). The Starship capsule had been scheduled to separate from the first-stage rocket booster three minutes into the flight but separation failed to occur and the rocket blew up. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The SpaceX Starship lifts off from the launchpad during a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023.  (Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images)

The Federal Aviation Administration has given Elon Musk's SpaceX the green light to launch the second attempt of its tall Starship rocket, as announced on Wednesday.

The second flight test of Starship is scheduled for Friday, November 17, as announced by SpaceX on social media platform X following the greenlight.

The Starship launch by SpaceX will be livestreamed, with a webcast starting 30 minutes before liftoff, within a two-hour launch window beginning at 8 a.m. ET.

The Starship's first launch in April resulted in an explosion mid-air, causing damage to ground infrastructure and raising environmental concerns. In response, the FAA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a safety review before issuing a new flight license for the second attempt.

The FWS report released on Wednesday stated that the rocket launch and resulting damage to the pad infrastructure did not have any long-term negative effects on the surrounding ecology. Despite this, SpaceX will take steps to minimize the impact on the area by reducing sound waves and vibrations, aiding in fire suppression, and offering launch pad protection, the agency announced.

According to a statement released Wednesday by the FAA, SpaceX satisfied all safety, environmental, policy, and financial responsibility requirements.

NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon and SpaceX's goals in the launch and satellite markets are dependent on the success of the Starship, which offers significantly more launch capability than any current rocket on the market.

In recent years, Musk has shifted his personnel and priorities to the Starbase development facility in Texas to launch the rocket.

— CNBC’s Michael Sheetz contributed to this report.

by Sara Salinas

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