SpaceX just cleared a big hurdle toward launching at Starship rocket again, and it could happen as soon as 10 days from now. The FAA announced late on May 15th that it has updated Spacex's Starship launch license. This new version includes an environmental approval granted earlier this month, which now allows SpaceX to conduct the 25 launches per year from Starbase in South Texas. That's a 5 fold increase from the previous cap of just five launches per year.
This is a major step for SpaceX as it ramps up its testing program. And it's not a green light for Flight 9. Not yet. The FAA made it clear that SpaceX still can't launch Flight 9 until the agency officially closes its investigation into Flight 8 or determines that the company can safely return to flight. SpaceX submitted its final report on that failure on May 14th, and the FAA is still reviewing it. Flight 8 took off in March and ran into serious trouble during its ascent.
A energetic event hit the upper stage and caused several Raptor engines to shut down. That led to a loss of control, and the rocket reentered over the Caribbean. A similar issue happened with Flight 7 in January, and before Flight 8 even launched, SpaceX admitted they were dealing with a phenomenon called a harmonic response. This is essentially intense vibrations during flight that were stronger than what they've seen in testing and what they've
expected. These vibrations strain the propulsion system, led to fuel leaks, and caused fires on board. Back on March 31st, the FAA accepted Spacex's findings for the earlier flight, but the agency said they wouldn't allow another launch until Flight 8's investigation was fully closed or another path forward was defined. That's where we are now, with the FAA reviewing the Flight 8 report and SpaceX on standby
ready to move. Meanwhile, SpaceX is already preparing for Flight 9. On May 13th, they performed a long duration static fire test of the Starship upper stage, one of the final steps before launch, and the company said at that time they were in final preparations for liftoff. Maritime and airspace notices hint at a possible launch window opening around May 22nd, but that still depends on FAA approval. And it's going to be more
towards the 27th. Now Elon Musk said he plans a talk at Starbase and it's going to be about the Mars strategy just before flight 9 that the event will be streamed online. But there's growing concern outside the US after debris from flight 7 and 8 re entered over the Caribbean. Some officials in the region pushed for changes to the
Rockets path. Now, the British Prime Minister, Stephen Doughty, reached out to the US State Department to request a shift in the launch trajectory to reduce risk to territories like the Turks and Caicos. The FAA responded by publishing an updated environmental assessment for the upcoming launch.
That document outlines a larger hazard zone, called the Aircraft Hazard Area, that now stretches as far as the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. Now, the agency cited the past two Starship mishaps as the reason for the expanded danger zone, saying the risk of failure remains higher than normal. And because of that, more than 175 commercial flights are expected to be impacted by the temporary airspace closures
during launch. The average delay is estimated at around 40 minutes per flight, and the launch is currently scheduled for 7:30 PM Eastern, which helps avoid peak travel periods. Still, the airports and Turks and Caicos will have to shut down during the launch window to
stay clear of the hazard zone. Now, the FAA license update is important because it moves SpaceX closer to restarting Starship flights, and this is the rocket system that will eventually send humans to Mars. But first it has to prove it can launch, fly and return without failing.