SpaceX Starship Flight Test On FAA Hold

The next SpaceX Starship test flight will be delayed for an unspecified period despite the company's CEO, Elon Musk, posting a message to his "X" followers on September 5, 2023, "Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval."

In a statement first reported by Ars Technica on September 6, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, "The SpaceX Starship mishap investigation remains open. The FAA will not authorize another Starship launch until SpaceX implements the corrective actions identified during the mishap investigation and demonstrates compliance with all the regulatory requirements of the license modification process."

There is no public disclosure detailing the specific corrective actions or missing compliance standards required by the FAA which makes it nearly impossible for an outsider to determine what progress is being made by SpaceX toward satisfying the regulatory agency.

Presumably, key areas of concern after the first Starship test flight would relate to the destruction of the concrete launch infrastructure and the resulting distribution of debris beyond the immediate vicinity of the launch complex, and, the behavior of the so-called Flight Termination System or FTS. That component is critical in ensuring that if a launching rocket is out of control, especially if it poses a threat to the public, the vehicle can either be destroyed or disabled such that continued flight in the direction of the public is terminated.

Observers have noted that the FTS on the first Starship launch appeared to react slowly and somewhat ineffectively when initiated.