The Federal Aviation Administration has given the green light for SpaceX's Starship 9 to launch after two failed missions that put the program on hold for months.
“The FAA conducted a detailed safety review of the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 incident and concluded that the company has successfully addressed the causes of the incident, allowing Starship to return to flight,” the FAA said in a statement.
The FAA said it took several factors into account when issuing clearance for Starship to return to space, including public safety, stray debris, and the performance of the ship's “safety-critical” systems.
SpaceX is also required to have a $550 million insurance policy to cover a potentially hazardous area spanning 1,600 miles from the Starbase launch pad in Texas to the Florida Straits, including the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Starship 7 mission in January exploded minutes after liftoff, sending flaming debris across the Gulf of Mexico.
The risk zone for the upcoming launch is twice as large as that set for the failed Starship 8 mission in March. The FAA also required that Starship 9 launches occur during “off-peak transit” hours. The Starship 8 mishap brought commercial air traffic to a standstill in Florida when the craft veered off course and spun out of control just minutes after liftoff.
The doubling of the danger zone is partly due to the fact that Starship 9 will use SpaceX's reusable first-stage fuel booster, known as Super Heavy, to return to the launch pad. The booster is designed to be captured by a special device called a “chopstick” and reused on future missions.
SpaceX has not yet announced a launch date, but planned airspace closures in the area suggest it could take place on May 27, Space.com reports.
Sourse: www.upi.com
