FAA and Launch Readiness

The FAA has announced on their website that they plan to release the final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy programs at the Boca Chica, Texas launch site on May 31st, 2022.

SpaceX has been waiting on this assessment, which will say whether or not SpaceX is allowed to make an orbital flight test attempt from Starbase.

The PEA was originally due to be completed at the end of 2021, as a draft of the assessment was published by the FAA in September of that year. However, more than 18,000 comments left on the draft by the public forced a longer review process.

Since then, SpaceX has wasted no time, testing various boosters and starships for orbital launch, constructing their new Raptor V2 engines which will power their vehicles into space, and constructing vehicle bays and launch platforms both at Boca Chica’s Starbase, and Cape Canaveral’s pad 39A.

Mechazilla construction is continuing quickly at pad 39A, with five of the eight structural blocks now resting at the site. Meanwhile at Boca Chica, the new production facilities are getting roofs attached, and their cranes are already seeing use. So the infrastructure is being swiftly completed.

Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk predicted that - FAA pending - an orbital launch test of Starship and Super Heavy would take place at the end of May. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, as both the FAA and testing of the test vehicles weren’t ready in time.

Early in May, however, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell provided an updated timeline of a June or July test date. This seems to be more and more likely, as even with potential FAA approval on the 31st, SpaceX is still constructing and testing vehicles, like Boosters 7, 8 and Ship 24 and 25, all of which are being constructed, fitted for Raptor V2 engines, and/or being tested for pressure and structural stability.

Fingers crossed for an orbital test soon!