US allows SpaceX to increase number of annual Starship rocket launches

On May 6, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted permission to SpaceX to increase the number of annual Starship rocket launches from the southern state of Texas.

This move will help billionaire Elon Musk's aerospace company accelerate its plan to develop this super-large rocket to fulfill its ambition of exploring Mars.

Under the new approval, SpaceX is allowed to increase the number of Starship rocket launches from five to 25 per year at its launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The FAA said the expanded launch frequency, as well as the landing of the rocket's booster stage in some ocean areas, would not cause serious impacts to the surrounding environment, including the risk of the rocket exploding over the Gulf of Mexico or some international waters.

Standing at around 123m tall, Starship is known as the world's largest and most powerful rocket. It is designed to be fully reusable and plays a key role in billionaire Musk's plan to send humans to Mars.

In March, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX plans to launch its massive Starship rocket with Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus to Mars in late 2026. If successful, the earliest human landing could take place would be 2029, although he noted that 2031 is more likely.

Previously, the FAA temporarily suspended the launch of the Starship rocket to serve the investigation after the failed test on January 16, when the rocket's upper stage caught fire and exploded in the air before falling to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

However, on February 28, the FAA allowed SpaceX to resume Starship test launches after the company completed an investigation into the previous incident.

SpaceX has ambitious space exploration goals and must ensure that Starship rockets can be launched safely to serve future manned flights./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/my-cho-phep-spacex-tang-so-vu-phong-ten-lua-starship-hang-nam-post1037069.vnp