The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the license for the SpaceX Starship 5. Set to launch this Sunday, the approval was initially expected to only be given around late November. The FAA confirmed that the aircraft “met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight.”
In addition to providing the green light for the Starship 5’s take off, the FAA also approved the mission profile of the Starship 6. Should the Starship 5 have an uncontrolled entry, it “must communicate that decision to the FAA prior to launch, the loss of the Starship vehicle will be considered a planned event, and a mishap investigation will not be required,” the FAA confirmed.
The FAA’s approval is widely welcomed by SpaceX, with founder Elon Musk previously criticizing the FAA for its proposal of a $633,000 fine against SpaceX on the grounds of launch issues.