SpaceX gets green light for fourth Starship test flight

SpaceX has received a launch license authorising the fourth test flight of its massive moon rocket.

Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, is expected to take off on June 6, during a 120-minute launch window that opens at 8 a.m. ET, according to CNN.

A livestream of the flight test will be available on SpaceX’s website about 30 minutes before liftoff.

The Starship vehicle, which includes the upper Starship spacecraft and a rocket booster known as the Super Heavy, will launch from the company’s private Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, gave SpaceX their approval for the flight test on June 4 and said the company “met all safety and other licensing requirements for this test flight.”

SpaceX proposed three scenarios involving Starship’s entry into the atmosphere that would not require an investigation if the vehicle is lost, according to the agency.

Those potential mishaps include a failure of a thermal shield, some loss of control of the vehicle in midflight, and the failure of an engine during a landing burn.

“If a different anomaly occurs with the Starship vehicle an investigation may be warranted as well as if an anomaly occurs with the Super Heavy booster rocket,” the agency said in a statement.