Elon Musk Says SpaceX's Starship Ready For Launch, Awaiting FAA Nod For Crucial Second Test Flight

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday that its Starship is ready to launch and is now merely awaiting FAA license approval for its second flight test.

The CEO also shared the short video posted by the rocket manufacturing company of the Starship fully stacked on the launch pad at Starbase.

Starship is a fully reusable transportation system expected to carry people and cargo to orbit, Moon and Mars. It is key to realizing Musk's dreams of making life "multi-planetary” with the CEO saying back in 2020 that he would send a million people to Mars by 2050 aboard Starship.

SpaceX attempted the first flight test of Starship on April 20 and the rocket exploded in less than four minutes after takeoff. 

About The Next Flight: In an interview with journalist and author Ashlee Vance on June 24, Musk estimated a 60% probability for the next flight to reach orbit, contingent on the success of stage separation. Several changes have been made to both the Starship undertaking flight and the launch pad to reduce damage on launch and a succesful flight.

For the next flight attempt, the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster (collectively called Starship) has been upgraded to use a separation method called hot-staging where Starship's second stage engines will ignite to push the ship away from the booster, SpaceX said. A vented interstage extension newly installed on the Super Heavy will enable Starship to turn on its engines while the booster engines are still firing, Musk elaborated.

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