On Monday, Elon Musk tweeted that the launch of his space exploration venture SpaceX’s fully-stacked Starship spacecraft for its first orbital test could be near the end of the third week of April. Musk had earlier indicated that the launch would be sometime this week. SpaceX still needs to obtain a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and clear a federal environmental compliance review.
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“Starship launch trending towards near the end of third week of April,” Musk tweeted on Monday, after previously stating that it was ready for launch and “awaiting regulatory approval.” The FAA had earlier said that Starship’s primary expected launch date was for Monday and mentioned Tuesday and Wednesday of this week as backup dates. However, in a revised notice on Monday, the FAA stated that the launch could now be on April 17.
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, collectively called Starship, represent a fully reusable transportation system that is designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Starship is fully prepped for testing at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
Last month, Musk said that Starship has about a 50% chance of succeeding on its debut orbital test flight. SpaceX is developing multiple Starship vehicles at the South Texas site and plans to launch them in relatively quick succession over the coming months. Musk feels that there is about an 80% chance that one of the Starship vehicles will reach orbit this year.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s rival Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit (NASDAQ:VORB) filed for bankruptcy earlier this month.
