Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.SpaceX has received a launch license authorizing the fourth test flight of its massive moon rocket.Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, is expected to take off Thursday, during a 120-minute launch window that opens at 8 a.m. ET. 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 Tuesday 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.“In addition, the FAA approved the mission profile that included a controlled and uncontrolled entry of the Starship vehicle. If SpaceX chooses to execute an uncontrolled entry, it must communicate that decision to the FAA prior to launch,” according to the statement. “As such, the loss of the Starship vehicle would b …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.SpaceX has received a launch license authorizing the fourth test flight of its massive moon rocket.Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, is expected to take off Thursday, during a 120-minute launch window that opens at 8 a.m. ET. 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 Tuesday 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.“In addition, the FAA approved the mission profile that included a controlled and uncontrolled entry of the Starship vehicle. If SpaceX chooses to execute an uncontrolled entry, it must communicate that decision to the FAA prior to launch,” according to the statement. “As such, the loss of the Starship vehicle would b …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
