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DannyB [soylentnews.org] writes:

FAA wraps up safety review of SpaceX's huge Starship rocket [space.com]

But there's still another regulatory hurdle to clear before Starship can fly for the second time.

[....] The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today (Oct. 31) that it has wrapped up its Starship [space.com] safety review, which assesses the risks that a launch might pose to public health and property.

However, there's still another regulatory box to check before SpaceX [space.com] can get a license for the next Starship liftoff.

"The FAA is continuing to work on the environmental review," the agency wrote today in an emailed statement. "As part of its environmental review, the FAA is consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on an updated Biological Assessment under the Endangered Species Act. The FAA and the USFWS must complete this consultation before the environmental review portion of the license evaluation is completed."

[....] "SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch," the agency wrote at the time.

And, as today's FAA update notes, there's still work to do on the environmental side.

The ongoing review apparently centers on the potential impacts of a water deluge system, [twitter.com] which SpaceX installed beneath Starbase's orbital launch mount after the April test flight.

The new system [space.com] is designed to protect the mount from the destructive power of Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines, which was on full display on April 20: The Raptors blasted out a big crater beneath the mount, [space.com] sending chunks of concrete and other debris raining down on Starbase and the surrounding area.

Check back for a progress report in one quarter of a galactic rotation.

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