Starship Launch License Denied: FAA's Ridiculous Reasons! SpaceX Responded

Starship Updates preparations for the highly anticipated fifth flight test of Starship are advancing at Starbase both Starship 30 and super heavy booster 12 are undergoing final inspections and checks at the build site before moving on to the next phase the wet dress reversal while the launch vehicle should be technically ready for flight following the wet dress rehearsal ongoing work at the launch site and the continued rigorous review of spacex's license modification request by the FAA could lead to delays the FAA recently informed SpaceX that the flight 5 launch license has been delayed until late November pushing the earliest possible launch date to the final week of November or early December in response SpaceX expressed frustration on their website noting that they have been ready for launch since the first week of August the company asserted that the delay is not due to any new safety concerns but is instead driven by Superfluous environmental analysis and false reports which they believe are influenced by special interest groups one such allegation surfaced in a CNBC report on August 12th which claimed that SpaceX had repeatedly violated environmental regulations at its Starbase Facility by improperly discharging pollutants including Mercury through its water Deluge system used during Starship launches after becoming aware of the allegations the FAA found itself unable to verify the accuracy of certain representations made in spacex's license application for 25 Starship launches from Starbase annually and announced plans to release a revised draft environmental assessment for that application this has now also impacted the fifth flight test license causing consecutive setbacks for SpaceX the Texas commission on Environmental Quality further substantiated these claims by finding SpaceX $3,750 for the unauthorized discharge of industrial Wastewater into nearby wetlands in response SpaceX disputed the reports accuracy both via X and through their website citing that at no time did they operate the deflector without a permit they clarified that the water Deluge system utilizes clean portable drinking water and that independent tests indicated mercury levels were significantly below the Environmental Protection Agency limits the company emphasized that they have implemented over 200 measures to Monitor and Safeguard the local environment and any excess water was captured in lined Retention Ponds to prevent contamination in addition to the Deluge system issue the FAA has initiated a 60-day consultation with the national marine fisheries service to assess the potential impact of the hot stage ring splash down on marine life after its jettisoning following stage separation SpaceX however reports that they had already conducted extensive analyses on this matter which showed that the risk to the Marine ecosystem is minimal the FAA also extended consultations on the possible effects of Sonic booms from the returning super heavy booster despite previous findings that indicated no significant harm to Wildlife addressing concerns about protected Birds near star base SpaceX highlighted its decade long biological monitoring efforts which have shown no significant impact on local bird populations even though starship's fifth flight is scheduled outside of the nesting season SpaceX is taking additional measures such as infrared drone surveillance to ensure minimal Wildlife disruption in short spacex's detailed response to the faa's delays underscores their belief that the licensing process has been stalled by excessive environmental reviews and unfounded criticisms the company maintains that they have complied with all regulatory requirements provided ample evidence refuting claims of environmental harm and are frustrated by the obstacles preventing the progress of the Starship program SpaceX officials have expressed concerns that regulatory delays in Starship test flights are hindering National objectives such as returning astronauts to the Moon Under NASA's emis program in response to inquiries following spacex's explanation the FAA attributed the delay in approving the flight five license to changes in the vehicle configuration and Mission profile submitted by the company moreover SpaceX submitted new details in mid- August indicating that the flight 5 environmental impact would affect a larger area than previously assessed this expansion requires the FAA to consult other federal agencies to ensure a thorough review before granting the launch license regarding the current activities at the launch site SpaceX recently conducted a series of catch practice tests with the launch Tower arms to evaluate their operational Readiness these tests followed extensive repairs upgrades and fixes applied to the arms over the past several weeks those upgrades involved adding new cushioning pads to The Landing rails to dampen the impact forces strengthening the vertical members of the arms with doubler plates replacing hydraulic actuator and adding structural reinforcements at several key locations after completing those Works SpaceX decided to test the upgrades before making further adjustments the arms were raised to the top of the tower on the morning of September 5th and teams conducted a final round of inspections to ensure that all repairs and upgrades were correctly implemented the arms were then positioned in the intended location for booster catch operations the catch practice tests began with a series of arm closing and opening operations performed at various speeds this step aimed to fine-tune the motion and range of the arms ensuring they could move synchronously and cover the necessary range of motion during an actual catch attempt The Landing rails which are crucial for supporting the booster were also tested to verify their functionality finally the arms were fully opened and then swiftly closed to simulate the action of catching a returning booster The Landing rails were then lowered to mimic The Landing process and then the arms were brought down to the tower base concluding the tests during the test one issue that stood out was the VIS shaking of the launch Tower when the arms were rapidly closed while the movement of the tower was clearly visible it's not a major concern and Tall heavy structures like the launch Tower some degree of shaking is entirely normal and expected during operations involving large forces this movement is primarily caused by the tower's inherent flexibility which allows it to absorb and manage Dynamic loads during momentum transfers SpaceX is already working to reduce this Movement by reinforcing the top sections of the tower they are adding larger gusset plates at critical connection points welding extension plates onto existing gussets and increasing the number of bolts to improve the tower's stability and reduce the vibrations even further The Landing rails exhibited uneven movement during raising and lowering meaning SpaceX has one more issue to be fixed before the actual booster catch attempt to ensure smoother operation after the catch practice test teams quickly resumed work on the arms to address the issues identified they continued welding at critical points and started adding additional double plates for reinforcement the left arm exhibited slow drifting motion while teams were working on it indicating the need for additional reinforcement at the connection between the arm and the carriage while the concrete base of the tower was previously reinforced with additional steel plates current efforts are focused on upgrading the arms carriage and overall Tower structure in short SpaceX is systematically reinforcing every above ground component of the tower to ensure a successful booster catch during flight 5 Elon Musk recently provided updated timeline for spacex's Mars missions which now appears more feasible according to musk the first Starship missions to Mars are slated to launch within the next 2 years during the upcoming Earth Mars transfer window these initial missions will be uncrewed designed to test a reliability of landing on Mars if these tests are successful crude missions are expected to follow in four years SpaceX anticipates an exponential increase in flight rates after these initial missions aiming to establish a self-sustaining Martian City within 20 years musk highlighted that SpaceX has already achieved significant Milestones including the development of the first fully reusable rocket stage a key factor for Mars missions he stressed the importance of reducing the cost per ton of payload to Mars which is crucial for building a self-sustaining City on the red planet at the Starbase production site Starship 31 the successor to ship 30 has been moved to the Massie test site for upcoming static fire testing preparations are currently underway for a six-engine static fire test which is expected to occur soon meanwhile the Starship test tank designated test tank 16 underwent two structural tests on the new can crusher test rig this past week these tests involved filling the tank with liquid nitrogen and applying forces with pistons attached to the test rig cap to simulate the stresses expected during a flight concurrently hydraulic Rams applied pressure to the AFT section of the tank mimicking the thrust of the Raptor engines test tank 16 shares designed similarities with the block two ships making these tests vital for refining the block two Starship design for more details about test tank 16 check out my previous video link in the description Starbase received a mysterious delivery this past week concealed beneath a protective covering while unconfirmed the shape suggests it could be the airlock for the Starship human Landing system which is set to transport astronauts to the lunar surface during NASA's upcoming Artemis missions we'll likely be able to confirm if this delivery is indeed the Starship hls airlock in the coming days NASA recently shared details of its collaboration with SpaceX on wind tunnel tests for the Starship super heavy booster these tests conducted early in 2024 took place at NASA's ases Research Center in California where a 1.2% scale model of the super heavy booster was exposed to high-speed air flows in the unitary plan wind tunnel these wind speeds ranged from Mack 0.7 to 1.4 replicating the air resistance the rocket experiences during flight equipped with pressure sensors the model provided data on its stability and aerodynamic performance under simulated flight conditions the insights gained from the test were used to enhance flight software for starship's flight three in March and improve the boosters design for future missions now let's discuss the latest Polaris Dawn: Inside the First Commercial Spacewalk! updates from the world of science and technology the highly anticipated Polaris Dawn Mission the first of three planned flights in the Polaris program successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center's launch complex 39a on Tuesday September 10th Polaris Dawn is operated by by SpaceX on behalf of Shift 4 CEO Jared isaacman who also led the inspiration 4 Mission in 2021 isaacman is joined by Mission pilot Scott potit a retired US Air Force pilot and Mission specialist Sarah Gillis and Anna Menan both space operations engineers at SpaceX one of the mission's key objectives is to support St Jude Children's Research Hospital a leading pediatric treatment and research facility through various fundraising strategies after the successful launch the crew Dragon spacecraft resilience separated from from Falcon 9's upper stage and entered orbit the spacecraft then initiated its altitude raising process eventually reaching an elliptical orbit with an appy of 1,400 km above Earth marking the highest altitude achieved by a crude spacecraft since the Apollo missions the crew then began their initial operations including system checks and preparations for the mission's scientific experiments among the 36 research initiatives the primary focus was on studying the effects of space radiation on human health especially as they passed through the Van Allen radiation belts This research is crucial for understanding the long-term impact of space travel on astronauts on day two of the mission the dragon's apy was lowered to its cruising orbit of 737 km and the crew started preparations for their long plann spacewalk they conducted final checks on their newly designed extra vehicular activity suits and reviewed the procedures for The Space Walk SpaceX designed the Eva suits by drawing inspiration from the existing Iva suits worn by astronauts on crew Dragon flights to the international space station however unlike the Iva suits these new Eva suits are tailored specifically for space walks day three of the Polaris Dawn mission was marked by the first ever commercial spacewalk a significant achievement in the field of private space exploration since the crew Dragon lacks an airlock the entire capsule was depressurized for The Space Walk exposing all cumers to the vacuum of space though only isaacman and Gillis exited the spacecraft wearing the pressurized Eva suits they climbed through the hatch using a ladder named Skywalker and and began The Space Walk their tasks involved going through a comprehensive test Matrix to evaluate the mobility and performance of the Eva suits the successful execution of The Space Walk not only demonstrated the capabilities of spacex's Technology but also provided valuable data for future missions following the successful space walk which lasted for about 20 minutes the crew re-entered the capsule closed the hatch and repressurized the spacecraft allowing them to take off their suits day four of the mission will consist of a special star L communication test aiming to establish a reliable connection between the crew dragon and the satellite Network the data gathered from this test is essential for future missions that may rely on advanced communication systems for deep space exploration on the final day of the mission the crew will return to Earth with a splash down either in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico depending on weather conditions the success of the Polaris Dawn Mission will exemplify the potential of private space exploration with significant achievements in scientific research technology testing and the pioneering of commercial Starliner Returns! What’s Next for Boeing’s Spacecraft? spacewalks Bo Starliner spacecraft successfully returned to Earth on September 7th concluding its crew flight test mission to the International Space Station the Starliner launched on June 5th for its first crude Mission carrying NASA astronaut Sunni Williams and Butch Wilmore successfully docked at the ISS on June 6th but encountered Thruster malfunctions and helium leaks in its propulsion system delaying the astronauts return after extensive tests and evaluations both on the ground and a board the ISS NASA Engineers concluded that uncertainties surrounding the thrusters performance made it too risky to transport the astronauts back on the spacecraft as a result the agency decided to transport the crew back to Earth using a SpaceX crew Dragon capsule in February 2025 while Starliner would return uncrewed after spending nearly 3 months docked to the ISS Starliner undocked from the station's Harmony module on September 6th the spacecraft then performed a breakout sequence using its forward- facing thrusters to quickly back away from the ISS it then executed a deorbit burn at a safe distance from the station initiating its return to Earth as Starliner made its way back home it encountered a couple of new technical issues including a brief glitch in its navigation system and a failure of one of the 12 thrusters responsible for orienting the capsule despite these setbacks the spacecraft continued its descent without any major complications Starliner jettisoned its service module which burned up over the Pacific Ocean and deployed its parachutes and airbags to safely land at wh sand space Harbor in New Mexico approximately 6 hours after undocking following the landing the cargo loaded aboard the spacecraft by the ISS crew was unloaded and the spacecraft was saved after thorough initial checks and inspections the spacecraft was transported to NASA's Kennedy Space Center where the engineers will analyze its onboard data to identify and address the root causes of the technical issues that marked the mission this process is expected to take several weeks during a post-landing press conference NASA officials stated that despite the technical difficulties encountered during the mission the astronauts would have been safe aboard Starliner during its Landing the future of Starliner remains uncertain as NASA and Boeing have not yet announced a timeline for its next mission however the agency has expressed its commitment to working with Boeing to resolve the spacecraft's issues and ensure its Readiness for future missions thank you for tuning in for the latest science news and Starship updates if you enjoyed this video please hit the like button leave a comment and share it with your friends also don't forget to subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode