Elon Musk Expresses Frustration At Fish And Wildlife Agency Induced Delay In Starship's Second Flight

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday termed the official delay in procuring a modified launch license for the second flight of its Starship as ‘unacceptable.’

What Happened: “That is unacceptable. It is absurd that SpaceX can build a giant rocket faster than they can shuffle paperwork!,” Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He was responding to a user who flagged that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) officials are yet to begin a formal review of SpaceX’s upgrades after its first flight attempt and subsequent explosion in April. Citing a Bloomberg news report, the user noted that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cannot provide the company with a new launch license until the FWS consultation is complete.

“This could push back the next launch window by months, which I know none of us want to hear…,” the user wrote.

SpaceX conducted the first test launch of Starship on April 20. The rocket exploded in less than four minutes after take-off, damaging the launch pad at Starbase and raining down dust on the residents of Port Isabel, Texas.

Why It Matters: Earlier this month, the FAA closed its mishap investigation into Starship explosion. The final report cited multiple root causes for the mishap and 63 corrective actions for the rocket manufacturer to take. “However, the FAA’s closure of the mishap investigation does not predetermine the results of any ongoing or future environmental reviews associated with Starship operations at Boca Chica,” it clarified.

SpaceX has implemented the fixes recommended by the FAA already for a second flight and is now awaiting a modified license, Musk said. The initial launch license procured by SpaceX authorized it to conduct just one launch and the company will now need a modified license to make way for more launches.

Photo courtesy: Thomas Hawk on Flickr

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