Updated at 16:55 East with FAA statement.
WASHINGTON – A test flight of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle is on hold pending the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration, a delay that has publicly aggravated the company’s chief executive.
SpaceX had planned to fly a suborbital flight of its Starship SN9 vehicle at its test site in Boca Chica, Texas, January 28. The vehicle reportedly made a flight similar to that of the SN8 vehicle on December 9, this time going to an altitude of 10 kilometers before landing back in Boca Chica.
However, temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) closing the airspace around the test site were unexpectedly lifted in the middle of the day, even when SpaceX was preparing the vehicle for the flight. A source familiar with the discussions between the FAA and SpaceX said the agency had requested additional information about the vehicle and the flight plan before giving final approval.
Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, blamed the FAA for the delay. “Unlike its aircraft division, which is doing well, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure,” he tweeted. “Its rules are aimed at a handful of expendable launches a year from some government facilities. According to these rules, humanity will never reach Mars. “
The company proceeded with preparations for its January 28 launch, leaving some wondering if the company could carry out a launch without an installed TFR or other FAA approvals. It turned out to be a wet dress rehearsal, with the vehicle fueled, but the countdown stopped before the engine started.
A second launch attempt on January 29 did not go that far. An FAA air traffic warning earlier in the day stated that the launch had been canceled, although the TFR remained in place. By mid-morning, however, SpaceX said it did not target the launch of the SN9 until February 1.
Neither SpaceX nor the FAA has released additional details about the problem that prevents FAA approval for the launch. “We will continue to work with SpaceX to resolve outstanding security issues before approving the next test flight,” FAA spokesman Steven Kuhn told SpaceNews on January 29.
“The FAA will continue to work with SpaceX to evaluate additional information provided by the company as part of its application to modify its launch license,” said the FAA in a statement at the end of 29 January. “While we recognize the importance of acting quickly to promote growth and innovation in the commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public security. We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements. “
The conflict between the FAA and SpaceX contrasts with the FAA’s public stance of working constructively with the industry. This included a simplification of the launch and re-entry regulations that the FAA completed last fall. These new regulations take effect 90 days after their official publication in the Federal Register on December 10.
In a Jan. 26 appearance in an IPO Edge space investment webinar, Wayne Monteith, FAA’s associate administrator for commercial space transport, said he understood the industry’s desire to move quickly. “As soon as that rocket is ready to go and the payload is ready to go, they want to go. In order not to become an impediment to the success of American companies, we, as the main regulator in this sector, must be ready as well. “
Monteith said he was willing to speak directly to executives at the launch company if there were regulatory issues. “CEOs and company presidents also have my direct line. They can contact me directly if our teams are communicating poorly or are not communicating well with each other, ”he said. Problems that can take “weeks or months” for the team to resolve, he said, “sometimes we can fix it in a single phone call.”
“Although no one likes to be regulated, it is important,” he said. “On the one hand, it keeps everyone safe and, second, it provides this stable environment for investors.”