The last time we reported on the SpaceX Starship, the massive spacecraft had achieved Earth orbit after the third test launch in March.
The fourth test flight occurred in June, and the Starship successfully returned to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas.
SpaceX is clearly on a solid trajectory to help the US return to the moon as part of the Artemis program. However, after promising the firm that it could do a fifth test in September, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided to delay the launch until November.
SpaceX, unsurprisingly, was dismayed by the move and publicly rebuked the decision.
The Starship vehicle that will conduct Flight 5 has been ready to fly from a technical standpoint since early August, SpaceX added, claiming that the licensing “delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous environmental analysis.””We find ourselves delayed for unreasonable and exasperating reasons,” SpaceX added in Tuesday’s post. The lengthy document, titled “Starships Are Meant to Fly,” also expressed a broader frustration with the regulatory environment that SpaceX and other launch providers must navigate.”Unfortunately, we continue to be stuck in a reality where it takes longer to do the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the actual hardware,” SpaceX wrote. “This should never happen and directly threatens America’s position as the leader in space.”
This week, the FAA has decided to fine SpaceX $633,009 for allegedly failing to follow launch rules.
The FAA alleges SpaceX bypassed several safety measures that the company had agreed to when it previously applied for launch licenses, according to enforcement letters the agency posted on its website.SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon. [CEO Elon] Musk, in responding to a post about the fines on X, appeared to suggest his company is being unfairly targeted by regulators, replying “more lawfare.”
People are beginning to question the FAA’s priorities when it comes to space exploration.
As the FAA tethers what is arguably the nation’s most successful space business, China is attempting to rapidly catch up in the new space race.
China is aiming to loosen Elon Musk’s lock on reusable launch vehicles — and close a yawning technology gap with the U.S.Beijing is turning to aerospace startups and state-owned enterprises alike to develop an edge in rockets that can be used dozens of times to lift satellites into low Earth orbit.One company trying to meet that challenge is LandSpace Technology, whose Zhuque-3 reusable rocket successfully completed a 6.2-mile vertical takeoff and landing return test flight at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Wednesday. According to Chinese state media, it marked a “significant breakthrough in China’s commercial space industry” and was a “crucial step toward achieving high capacity, low cost, high frequency and reusability in future space launches.”Another startup in the wings is Deep Blue, a closely held firm that was planning to test a reusable rocket as soon as last week. A successful demonstration would bring it too one step closer to providing the type of regular orbital deployment service offered by SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rockets.
Of course, making choices that hurt this nation and help China is completely on-brand for the Harris-Biden administration.
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