Starship's historic flight will take place on April 17 - FAA gives SpaceX permission to launch spacecraft

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized SpaceX to launch the Starship spacecraft with

Super Heavy rocket. As expected, the launch will take place on April 17, 2023.

What is known

American billionaire Elon Muskthe end of 2022 several times postponed the launch of the rocket system. In early April 2023, the FAA issued recommendations with three possible dates (April 10, 11, and 12), but no launch was made on any of these days.

The reason was the lack of a license.A few days ago, the regulator set a new date - April 17. After a comprehensive evaluation, the Authority decided to allow the test flight. According to the FAA, SpaceX complies with environmental, safety, financial responsibility and airspace integration requirements. The license is valid for 5 years.

April 17 at 15:00 (EET) a 150 minute start window will open. Starship launches from Starbase in Texas. 8 minutes after launch, the Booster 7 rocket booster will return to Earth and land in the Gulf of Mexico. Ship 24 will make an incomplete orbit around our planet and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

Starship is one of the key elementslunar program Artemis. In 2025, a Starship spacecraft will land astronauts on the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.