SpaceX Starship Is Gearing Up to Launch Every Other Week From Starbase Following FAA Approval

Elon Musk's SpaceX has recently been given an approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that allows the company to stage launches for its Starship program every other week. This follows the length environmental review conducted by the FAA.

Late last year, a draft finding already hinted at a renewed launch cadence for the Starship program should its environmental review lean towards the positive. Six months later, it is now a reality for Musk's space company.

SpaceX Starship May Now Launch Every Other Week

The FAA has released a new document detailing the latest win for SpaceX and Musk, particularly as the Starship program received its approved launch and land cadence under its operator license. The document entitled "Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact" recently declared that SpaceX's Starship operations does not significantly affect "the quality of the human environment," hence its approval.

With this latest development, the draft finding that suggested a modification to SpaceX's operator license to launch the Starship rocket every other week is now approved and signed by the FAA's Office of Operational Safety executive director, Daniel P. Murray.

This new launch cadence approval for SpaceX means that they could launch the Starship program, Ship and Super Heavy Booster rocket combined, as many as 25 launches per year from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.

FAA Approves Starship's Launch Cadence

Alongside this approved launch and land cadence for Starship, SpaceX would have to effect "mitigation measures" to ensure that they would not disrupt the human environment and wildlife in the area.

ArsTechnica has reported that one of the mitigations requires SpaceX to operate their trucks and employee shuttles during the daytime as they would significantly increase the annual traffic in the area.

That being said, there is still no concrete schedule as of press time for when Starship's Flight 9 would take place.

SpaceX Starship and the FAA Review

SpaceX faced massive setbacks in their hopes to get the Starship operational, particularly as the FAA decided to conduct an environmental assessment of the program's effect on the ecosystem and wildlife around it in Boca Chica, Texas. In addition, residents of the area have also raised their concerns.

Two years ago, Starship was given the license to start its test flights after the previous review, leading to multiple missions.

Despite being successful in Flight 4, which saw both the Ship and the Super Heavy Booster rocket splash down in different bodies of water, SpaceX was yet again held up by an environmental analysis before it was given the license for Flight 5.

That being said, Starship's fifth flight test was the most successful as it not only brought back the Ship for its splashdown, but it also caught the Super Heavy for the first time.

SpaceX's Flight 7 may not have been as successful as previous missions, but the grind did not stop there for the company, as they have since worked on improving their systems and spacecraft for its further testing and, potentially, its first official launch.