The launch company is currently restricted to just five blast-offs, and any increase would also need to come through a public comment period.
However, the environmental review stated that a “modification of SpaceX’s existing vehicle operator licence” contains “no significant environmental changes” and that “all pertinent conditions and requirements of the prior approval have been met”.
Starship is the collective name for the SpaceX Super Heavy booster rocket and Starship spacecraft, destined to fly humans to Mars one day. Last week, SpaceX successfully completed the sixth test launch of the vehicle, and fourth this year, with US President-elect Donald Trump watching on.
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The company, though, significantly didn’t attempt another “chopstick-style” catch of the Super Heavy booster, which instead exploded over the Gulf of Mexico.
Kate Tice, one of the hosts of the SpaceX webcast, told viewers beforehand not to be surprised if the flight wasn’t smooth.
“We are intentionally looking for how far we can push and discover the vehicle’s true limits as we plan for future ship return and catch,” she said.
Starship’s first launch failed to reach orbit in April last year but surpassed expectations by crucially passing through Max Q, the period in which the spacecraft endures maximum dynamic pressure.
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A second launch in November went one better with a successful first-stage separation, and the third launch in March 2024 finally reached orbit but without a successful soft landing.
The fourth launch, though, in June, was hailed by Musk as a “great day for humanity’s future as a spacefaring civilisation” after it conducted a soft splashdown for the first time.
The fifth launch, though, generated the most headlines after SpaceX caught Starship’s Super Heavy booster in the mechanical arms attached to its launch tower.
Dan Huot, SpaceX communications manager, said, “Are you kidding me? What we saw, that just looked like magic.”
The company had previously tempted expectations the manoeuvre could be pulled off, with Jessie Anderson, a senior manufacturing engineer, cautioning beforehand that “a lot of things have to go right”. In the end, the practice mission was a spectacular success.
“That hurt my brain for a while,” Huot said. “First ever booster catch – a major step towards rapid reusability, and Starship gave us quite a show. Hey, Starships are meant to fly, and it sure as hell flew today, so let’s get ready for the next one.
“What a day. That’s all I get to say. What a day.”
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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