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SpaceX has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for Starship Flight 7, the regulator confirmed in an email sent to journalists today. The FAA stressed that approval of Starship Flight 7 came “well before” its launch date and called the quick approval “another example of the FAA’s commitment to enabling safe space transportation.” In order to speed up the permitting process for Starship Flight 8, the FAA also shared a list of “exclusion of damage resulting from testing” so it would not require an accident investigation if it occurred on Flight 7.

The accident investigation will lengthen the licensing process for future launches. However, SpaceX’s rapid iteration of Starship during its testing campaign put it at odds with existing regulations, leading to significant delays to previous flight approvals.

SpaceX May Receive Fast Approval For Starship 8 Flight Due To Damage Exclusion List

The only publicly available indication for Starship Flight 7 at this time is a letter sent by NASA to the FAA to allow them to perfect an observation craft to monitor the Starship rocket’s upper stage. This hints at a launch in January. However, SpaceX has statically fired the first and second stages of its Starship rocket this month for two weeks. Static fire trials are often one of the last tests before launch, and a test in December suggests that perhaps Starship Flight 7 could take place later this month.

Previous Starship launches have taken place one day after FAA approval, but this time, SpaceX has not yet stacked the rocket’s first and second stages on the launch pad. The company shared footage of the Raptor’s vacuum engine firing today to test it for relighting in space. This reactivation first occurred on Starship Flight 6, and it was important for the ship’s orbital tests because it allowed mission controllers to adjust its orbit if an anomaly occurred.

The FAA also outlined a ‘test damage exclusion’ that SpaceX has shared with the space agency for Flight 7. This is a potential anomaly that could pose a public safety hazard during flight, and as part of its evaluation efforts, the space agency confirmed that “all public safety requirements have been met.”

The list of anomalies includes “failure of the thermal protector during high heating; failure of the closing system at high dynamic pressure; Raptor engine system failure during landing Starship fire; failure of a Raptor engine system during a combustion demonstration in space; and failure of the Super Heavy system during post-booster containment of the capture vehicle,” according to the FAA.

Because it has discussed these matters previously, the FAA will not require SpaceX to conduct an accident investigation if this occurs on Starship Flight 7. The FAA added that the exception is conditioned on the absence of fatalities, property damage, or debris. falls outside the designated area.

SpaceX will try to capture a 232-foot Starship Super Heavy booster with a launch tower during Flight 7. SpaceX will also test an upgraded upper stage with a new front cover, larger tanks, and redesigned heat shield tiles, among other changes.

The single-engine static fire represents a flight-like start to combustion in space pic.twitter.com/jELpcCOaO5

– SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 17, 2024