SpaceX Set for Fourth Starship Test Flight with New FAA Launch License

SpaceX has finally received the much-anticipated launch permit. This week, SpaceX revealed that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted it a launch license, allowing the fourth test flight of the Starship spacecraft to take place this Thursday, Eastern Time.

The Starship, a large spacecraft built by Elon Musk, stands at 120 meters tall and is powered by 33 Raptor engines. During its third test flight last year, Starship achieved success, but there's still a long way to go before it can carry humans to Mars. SpaceX continues to conduct tests, each with specific objectives.

The FAA's launch license provides a 120-minute launch window, open from 8 AM to 11 AM Eastern Time on Thursday. If SpaceX misses this window, it will need to reapply for a launch permit.

SpaceX stated, "The fourth test flight of Starship will bring us closer to the upcoming era of rapid reusability, where both rockets and landers can be reused for multiple low-cost missions. We will continue to rapidly develop Starship, putting flight hardware in the flight environment as quickly as possible to learn and build a fully reusable transportation system to send crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond."

As usual, SpaceX will broadcast the entire event live on X/Twitter and YouTube. Elon Musk is expected to attend and watch the launch in person.