Official: FAA Could End Starship Safety Review in October

Kelvin Coleman, the Federal Aviation Administration’s associate administrator for commercial space transportation, said safety reviews to modify SpaceX’s Starship launch license could conclude by the end of October.

The company’s original clearance was valid only for the operation that occurred in late April. Regardless of the outcome, the FAA is requiring SpaceX to seek a license modification before undertaking additional Starship launches.

In a recent interview, Coleman explained that the company should implement corrective actions tied to public safety before receiving a modified license. He noted that 27 of the 63 actions are public safety-related.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his company has fulfilled 57 of the 63 corrective actions. He added that the remaining six refer to later flights.

In addition to the safety review, SpaceX is required to pass an environmental review the FAA is conducting alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The review will study changes to launch site infrastructure, including a water deluge system intended to reduce launch pad damage, SpaceNews reported.