According to a statement issued by an FAA official yesterday, SpaceX's next "Starship" launch may take place in October after obtaining a launch license. Her statement comes as SpaceX is close to completing all inspections of its Starship rocket.

Starship is the world’s largest rocket under development. The project list shared by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shows that most of the problems lie in its engines and related components. However, SpaceX appears to have completed these upgrades, with only a few items left on the checklist before the second Starship rocket is ready for launch.

SpaceX's "Starship" soars into the sky and successfully lifts off despite being the world's most complex and powerful rocket - and the first of its kind developed by a private company. Image Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

The fallout from Starship’s April test flight has some questioning whether the rocket will be able to conduct another test flight soon. Most of these concerns stem from damage to the launch pad, which is an additional hassle that SpaceX has to face even if the rocket is ready for a quick test flight.

However, in just five months, SpaceX not only transported Starship back to the launch pad, but also added a thermal transfer intermediate stage, rebuilt the launch pad, installed a water sprinkler system, and performed two static ignitions of the first-stage booster. This leaves most Starship systems in the final stages of their second test flights, and rapid turnaround is a consistent feature of the Starship program.

SpaceX’s Starship project is also “hardware-rich,” meaning the company has multiple prototypes in development. The newer rockets also have better upgrades, which increase their chances of successful orbital flights. The orbital demonstration is an important part of the long-term viability of the Starship program, as it will give the company the ability to refuel the rocket in orbit through later test attempts.

The Starship simulation diagram shared by SpaceX in April 2023 shows that the second-stage rocket and tanker have entered the Earth’s orbit and are ready to refuel in orbit. Image: SpaceX TAGPH21 TAGPH22 Orbital fueling is an important feature of the Starship program because it is critical to NASA's plan to send humans to the moon for the first time. Astronauts on the Artemis mission will not fly to SpaceX on Starship. Instead, they will ride aboard NASA's SLS rocket and then board a second-stage Starship in lunar orbit. In order to fly to the moon, the second-stage Starship needs fuel, and SpaceX will refuel the empty ship in Earth orbit through Starship tankers.

Orbital fuelers enable Starship to put more payload into orbit because the second stage can get through the toughest parts of the journey with less weight. This also means that compared with other lunar landers, the "Starship" is much larger and can help NASA establish a lunar base.

As for the next orbital test flight of "Starship", FAA Acting Administrator Polly Trottenberg revealed yesterday that the launch may take place in October. Reuters quoted her as saying:

We work well with them and have been having good discussions. Our team is working together and I think we're optimistic about that sometime next month.

Before Starship flies or even undergoes a static fire, there are several indicators that SpaceX is about to launch its rocket. These include communications from the FAA to pilots wishing to fly through the airspace near the test site, NASA's WB-57 aircraft if the agency wishes to capture detailed footage of the test attempt, and road and beach closure personnel from local authorities to establish a safe cordon around the rocket.