SpaceX receives approval to increase Starship launches

SpaceX on Tuesday received key U.S. regulatory approval to increase the annual number of Starship rocket launches from Texas and landing rocket boosters in various bodies of water, allowing Elon Musk's space company to significantly expand the development of its giant rocket for flight to Mars, Reuters reports, UNN writes.

Details

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), completing a multi-year review, said SpaceX's proposal to increase the number of Starship launches in Texas from five to 25 would not affect the environment, nor would related rocket booster landings or potential rocket explosions over the Gulf of Mexico and some international waters.

The agency said it determined that changing SpaceX's license for Starship to support increased rocket activity would "not affect the quality of the environment" under the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act, a key environmental protection law requiring FAA review.

The green light from the regulator is a boon for the massive rocket, which is set to play a key role in the U.S. space program, especially under President Donald Trump, the publication writes.

Musk, who spent a quarter of a billion dollars supporting Trump's election campaign, influenced the administration's space agenda to bring it in line with his vision of sending humans to Mars, the destination for which Starship is intended.

The document detailing the FAA's decision states that SpaceX, as a condition of increasing its launch activity, must fulfill a number of public obligations to offset its environmental impact. This includes conducting quarterly beach cleanups, donating to environmental organizations, and testing water near turtles.

While Tuesday's decision gives SpaceX the green light to accelerate work on Starship, the company has not said when it plans to conduct another test launch of the rocket after several explosions during testing.

Addition

The FAA's decision came days after SpaceX employees, contractors and other residents living near Starbase, the company's rocket campus in Texas, voted on Saturday to incorporate the area into a municipality, a move that gives SpaceX more control over area development and some new launch powers.

SpaceX, the world's most active launch operator, also wants to expand its other sites in California, where it is seeking regulatory approval to double the frequency of Falcon 9 launches, and in Florida, where it wants access to a third launch site in the state.