Starship's fifth test flight will feature a novel booster “capture” maneuver to safely return the reusable Super Heavy booster to the launch pad. Credit: SpaceX
This week, paceX received disappointing news from the FAA: the launch license for its fifth test flight of Starship (the largest and most powerful rocket ever built) won’t be granted until late November. And it’s not happy.
On Tuesday, when the company From time to time he does it Faced with what it sees as unfair treatment, SpaceX published a extensive update denouncing the decision. According to the company, the FAA had assured it that Starship would be given the green light this month. It claims that the rocket has been ready to fly Since the beginning of August, a statement by CEO Elon Musk reiterated last week.
“Unfortunately, we remain stuck in a reality where it takes longer to complete the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the hardware itself,” the company said. “This should never happen and directly threatens America’s position as a leader in space.”
With the ability to be used multiple times at low cost, Starship is expected to be a game-changer for American spaceflight. SpaceX wants to launch the rocket up to 120 times a year from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Last week, Musk reclaimed The vehicle will reach Mars in two years.
SpaceX is also developing a Starship Human Landing System (HLS) — a variant of the Starship that can be used to land on the Moon — for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which would allow Americans to return to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. Starship will require a few more test flights before the mission, which is scheduled for late 2026.
That’s not a long time, but SpaceX plans to get there by using its iterative design philosophy. Essentially, the company puts flight hardware through real-world testing as often as possible to learn quickly and improve the chances of success on the next flight. The strategy helped it commercialize the now-ubiquitous Falcon rocket.
“The safer we fly, the faster we learn; the faster we learn, the sooner we achieve full and rapid reusability of rockets,” SpaceX said.
Each Spaceship proof flight It has flown farther and accomplished more than the last. The fourth, in June, marked the first time that both Starship and the Super Heavy rocket returned to Earth in one piece after the first two attempts ended in explosions.
Following the trend, Flight 5 will have its most ambitious goal yet. SpaceX will attempt to catch Super Heavy in mid-air using two large “chopstick” arms to return it safely to the Starbase launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas.
The maneuver It could pose a risk The delay could create a domino effect that hampers future Starship test flights. The safe return of the rocket is a key element of the system's reusability.
“It is understandable that such a unique operation would require additional time to analyze from a licensing perspective,” the firm said. “Unfortunately, rather than focusing resources on critical safety analysis and collaborating on rational safeguards to protect both the public and the environment, the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd.”
Related: Why SpaceX's Starship launch pad matters
What is happening?
SpaceX said the FAA said a launch license would be granted this month, but the process has been delayed due to “four open environmental issues” it deems unnecessary.
Starship's maiden voyage in April 2023 was brief but bombastic. The FAA grounded the rocket as he investigated the launch and explosion, which shook buildings, shattered windows and sent ash and debris miles away.
The impact was more severe than SpaceX anticipated due to the lack of a flame deflector (a common device at launch sites that uses water to absorb energy and heat) beneath Starbase. According Musk said the system was not available because it was “not ready in time” and the company thought the platform could support the launch.
The FAA's handling of Starship's initial launch license sparked a lawsuit of five environmental groups, which the agency reportedly has tried to dismiss. With the flame deflector installed, subsequent Starship flights have not destroyed the launch pad.
However, the FAA has approved two 60-day consultations that could extend the timeline for a fifth mission.
According to SpaceX, the only proposed change to the mission’s hot-stage landing (during which the top portion of the Super Heavy rocket is ejected) is a new splashdown site, which it says would not increase the risk of harming marine life. Still, the FAA has authorized a consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service to evaluate the new site.
“SpaceX’s current license authorizing the launch of Starship Flight 4 also allows for multiple flights of the same vehicle configuration and mission profile,” the agency said. FLIGHT“SpaceX decided to modify both for its Starship Flight 5 launch proposal, triggering a further review.”
However, SpaceX fears the review could take longer.
“The mechanics of this type of consultation establish that any new question that arises during that time can restart the 60-day counter, again and again,” he said.
An independent consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), requested by the FAA because of Flight 5's larger sonic boom radius, could increase delays. A sonic boom occurs when Starship slows from supersonic speeds on its way back to Earth.
“In mid-August, SpaceX submitted new information detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously analyzed,” the FAA said. “This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies.”
According to SpaceX, both agencies have studied Starship rocket landings and have concluded that sonic booms do not have a significant environmental impact. The company also says the studies support the idea that sonic booms have no harmful effects on wildlife, but a conclusion has not yet been reached on that.
According to a assessment Following the California Coastal Commission’s request for SpaceX to increase Falcon 9 launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, experts do not fully understand the effects of noise on animals. The commission rejected the request in part because the sonic booms generated by the Falcon 9 (a less powerful rocket than Starship) force too many local parks to close and evacuate.
“At Starbase, we implement an extensive list of mitigations developed with federal and state agencies, many of which require year-round monitoring and frequent updates to regulators and consultation with independent biological experts,” SpaceX said.
Among other things, the company says it works with a local nonprofit to transport injured sea turtles for treatment and monitors local bird populations, using drones to search for nests before and after release. It also “adopted” Boca Chica Beach through a Texas state program and sponsors quarterly cleanups that it says have removed hundreds of pounds of trash.
A CNBC report last month said SpaceX was quickly… reprimandedalleged that the company violated the Clean Water Act. However, the Environmental Protection Agency said FLIGHT In fact, he violated that law.
Days before Starship's third test flight in March, the EPA issued an order directing the company to eliminate “unpermitted discharges,” citing a spill of liquid oxygen from the flame deflector's water deluge system that leaked into surrounding wetlands. SpaceX was forced to apply for a new permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which it did in July, but still ate a good of nearly $150,000 to settle the violation.
In response, the company denied discharging pollutants or operating the deluge system without TCEQ permission. According to SpaceX, the device “literally uses drinking water” and has been deemed safe by the FAA, TCEQ and USFWS.
SpaceX further claimed that the EPA issued its order without knowledge of its TCEQ license or “a basic factual understanding” of how the system works. It added that the fines are “entirely tied to disagreements over paperwork” and stem from a simple misunderstanding.
“We decided to settle so we can focus our energy on completing the missions and commitments we have made to the U.S. government, commercial customers, and ourselves,” SpaceX said. “Paying fines is extremely disappointing when we strongly disagree with the allegations, and we are supported by the fact that the EPA has agreed that nothing will need to change about the operation of our flame deflector. Only the name of the permit has changed.”
The proposed agreement will be open for public comment until October 21.
Indicated?
The implication on SpaceX's part is that it is being unfairly attacked for its successes.
The company is prolific in the commercial spaceflight industry: experts estimate It accounted for 87 percent of all spacecraft that space operators send into orbit by 2023. At the same time, it handles more NASA missions than any of the agency's private contractors.
That domain occasionally provokes anger from competitors like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin or, as SpaceX puts it, “bad-faith hysteria from online detractors or special interest groups.”
“Despite a small but vocal minority of detractors attempting to manipulate the regulatory system to obstruct and delay Starship development, SpaceX remains committed to the mission at hand,” the company said.
NASA has made it known that it intends to become one of many customers within a commercial space ecosystem, rather than a service provider. At the end of the decade. As SpaceX continues to acquire contracts with NASA, including a agreement to deorbit the International Space Station, ushering in a new era, rivals and critics may fear its supremacy will only grow.
This article was first published on flyingmag.com.
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