Launch could come as soon as Thursday from Texas
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the close of its investigation Monday after SpaceX delayed a May test mission when the booster did not perform as expected. The regulator said it oversaw and accepted SpaceX’s findings, which identified heat effects on propulsion system components during ascent and erroneous engine alarm system settings as the two most probable root causes for the earlier problems. The FAA also accepted four corrective actions from SpaceX, including vehicle hardware and software configuration updates.
The company said Monday it is preparing to launch the flight test as soon as Thursday, with a launch window set to open in the evening. The mission would be the first flight for Starship “V3,” a redesigned version of the vehicle aimed at deploying bigger satellites, according to the Wall Street Journal.
SpaceX said the launch will mark the first time Starship will carry V3 Starlink satellites to space, with the rocket expected to deploy 20 satellites that will attempt to connect with the larger Starlink constellation using high-capacity lasers.