SpaceX is set to test its Starship SN9 later on Tuesday, after receiving clearance from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
Starship will attempt a 10km (6.21 mile) test, set to take place from 9am to 6pm Central Time.
According to @op_boca, Boca Chica village was being cleared out on Tuesday morning as of 12pm EST, ahead of the test flight.
You can watch a live video feed of the test flight from NASASpaceflight below:
Good morning Starship SN9 & SN10🤩🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/168hFFVTR6
— RGV Aerial Photography (@RGVaerialphotos) February 2, 2021
SpaceX had planned to test SN9 on January 28, but the launch was delayed. Previously, the FAA said SpaceX had violated its launch license for its SN8 test.
According to Space News, the FAA said SpaceX had requested a waiver for its license for SN8 before its December 9 flight, which was denied.
The FAA says the waiver would have allowed SpaceX to “exceed the maximum public risk allowed by federal safety regulations.” But as we all know, the SN8 flight test went ahead and exploded during its landing attempt.
“As a result of this non-compliance, the FAA required SpaceX to conduct an investigation of the incident,” said the federal agency. “All testing that could affect public safety at the Boca Chica, Texas, launch site was suspended until the investigation was completed and the FAA approved the company’s corrective actions to protect public safety.”
The FAA approved SpaceX’s license modification yesterday, noting the company now ” complies with all safety and related federal regulations and is authorized to conduct Starship SN9 flight operations in accordance with its launch license.”
Let’s hope today’s Starship SN9 test does proceed as planned. Get ready for another existing test flight, if it doesn’t get scrubbed.
Update: Here’s the SpaceX replay video–SN9 did not land but saw a stable launch and descent:
