Starship
SpaceX Boca Chica environmental review draws strong public support and criticism
SpaceX performed a static-fire test of a Starship vehicle Oct. 21 as debate continues about an environmental assessment of the company’s proposed launch operations in Texas.
FAA releases draft environmental report on SpaceX Starship orbital launches
A draft environmental assessment released by the Federal Aviation Administration suggests that SpaceX will be able to proceed with orbital Starship launches from Texas, but with a number of mitigations required.
SpaceX surges Starship work despite FAA environmental review uncertainty
The unstoppable force of SpaceX’s recent surge in development of its Starship vehicle for its first orbital flight is in danger of colliding with an immovable object: an ongoing environment review that has no clear end date.
SpaceX aiming for July for Starship orbital launch despite regulatory reviews
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says the company is “shooting for July” for the first orbital launch of the company’s Starship vehicle despite lacking the regulatory approvals needed for such a launch.
House hearing rehashes longstanding commercial space transportation issues
A House aviation subcommittee hearing on commercial space transportation June 16 plowed familiar ground, revisiting a wide range of issues that have yet to be resolved.
SpaceX outlines first orbital Starship test flight
SpaceX has disclosed details for the first orbital test flight of its next-generation Starship launch system, but the company is still far short of the regulatory approvals needed for the mission.
Starship survives test flight
A SpaceX Starship prototype successfully carried out a brief suborbital flight May 5 after four previous vehicles were destroyed during or shortly after landing.
NASA selects SpaceX to develop crewed lunar lander
NASA has selected SpaceX as the sole company to win a contract to develop and demonstrate a crewed lunar lander, while keeping the door open for others to compete for future missions.
SpaceX adds to latest funding round
SpaceX has added more than $300 million to a fundraising round announced earlier this year to support continued work on its Starship launch system and Starlink satellite constellation.
Engine explosion blamed for latest Starship crash
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said an engine on the company’s latest Starship prototype suffered a “hard start” that caused the vehicle to explode when attempting to land on a test flight last week.
SpaceX crashes another Starship prototype
SpaceX launched its fourth Starship prototype in less than four months March 30, only to have the vehicle apparently crash once again.
Congress raises concerns about FAA’s handling of Starship launch license violation
As SpaceX gears up for another test flight of a Starship prototype, the Federal Aviation Administration is facing new scrutiny from Congress for how it handled SpaceX’s violation of its launch license on an earlier test flight.
Op-ed | Don’t discount the FAA’s role in the private space race
Private spaceflight companies can help to lead the way in advancing U.S. national security and exploration goals, provided they don’t get their heads stuck above the clouds and undermine the gains they’ve brought to the industry.
SpaceX bid on launch of NASA cubesat mission
A NASA competition to launch a cluster of cubesats attracted a bid from SpaceX, who appeared to offer a vehicle other than its current Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy.
SpaceX launches and lands Starship prototype, which later explodes
SpaceX launched a prototype of its Starship next-generation vehicle March 3, landing it safely only to have the vehicle explode minutes later.
Op-ed | In defense of regulation
Steve Blank’s op-ed of Feb. 5, “The FAA and SpaceX,” demands an informed rebuttal. It lacks grounding in the history and nature of private space activity regulation and he erroneously conflates that mission with the FAA's primary task of regulating the safest transportation system in human history.
Op-ed | The FAA and SpaceX
At first glance the FAA/SpaceX dust-up over Starship might look like a rich entrepreneur breaking the rules versus a federal agency trying to keep the public safe. It's actually an example of a government organization — the FAA — unable to distinguish between innovation and execution.
SpaceX Starship crashes after suborbital flight
A second prototype of SpaceX’s Starship reusable launch vehicle performed a suborbital flight Feb. 2, only to crash while landing.
SpaceX violated launch license in Starship SN8 launch
The FAA said that SpaceX violated the conditions of a launch license for its Starship vehicle during a launch in December, prompting an investigation that delayed tests of another vehicle.
FAA reviews delay SpaceX Starship test
A test flight of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle is on hold as the company awaits approval from the FAA, a delay that has publicly aggravated the company’s chief executive.
