SpaceX is seeking approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly its massive Starship rocket on a trajectory that would take it over Florida after launching from its Starbase site in southern Texas.
An alternative route has also been suggested by SpaceX, that one taking the world’s most powerful rocket past the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the Cayman Islands.
The flight would be part of SpaceX’s first attempt at getting the Starship’s upper stage, the Ship, to orbit. All of its previous 10 test flights have been suborbital missions, though the Ship hasn’t always made it that far due to technical issues that occurred during flight.
The proposed overflight of Florida would enable SpaceX to try out specific recovery tests and landing scenarios that can’t be done with the current trajectories.
The FAA, which is now evaluating the environmental impact of the proposed routes, said in a report that the new flight paths would likely cause several hours of disruption to air traffic over parts of the U.S. including Florida, as well as parts of the Caribbean and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It added that up to 200 commercial aircraft per hour could be affected if a Starship launch occurred during peak times.
The Super Heavy failed during the ascent on its first two flights, but its outward journeys since then have fared much better. This will give the FAA more confidence of the rocket’s ability to safely clear Florida as it carries the Ship to orbit.
After separation, the Super Heavy booster would perform a boostback burn and return over Mexico and southern Texas to land back at the launch site at Boca Chica.
A public meeting about SpaceX’s plan will be held on October 7, and a public comment period is open until October 20. After that, the FAA will announce a decision on whether SpaceX can try the new flight paths in future missions.
SpaceX is developing the Starship for future crew and cargo flights to the moon, where NASA wants to build a base for long-stay human missions in the coming years. The rocket could also be used for the first human missions to Mars.
The Elon Musk-led company is currently preparing for the Starship’s 11th flight, which is expected to take place in the next week or so.
