After a flurry of reports surfaced earlier this week suggesting that SpaceX will fly its Starship rocket for the first time next week, a notice issued by the Boca Chica authorities has put the matter to rest. SpaceX is developing the world's largest and most powerful rocket in the village located in Cameron County, Texas, and before its tests, local authorities issue road closure notices to stop people from accessing the highways and beach located close to the testing facility. A fresh notice was issued yesterday, and while it does close the nearby locations, these are only for a ground test - indicating that more wait is needed before the 329 feet tall rocket finally takes to the skies.
Rumors Suggest SpaceX Is Eager To Keep Starship Launch Date Quiet
Talk surrounding an orbital launch attempt from SpaceX has suddenly picked up the pace, roughly two months after the firm successfully conducted static fire tests of the first-stage Starship Super Heavy booster. Initial speculation, boosted by placeholders from both NASA and the FAA, hinted that a launch might take place as soon as on the 10th of April, but as we noted yesterday, while the two agencies had set a date, similar notices were missing from Cameron County.
Well, this riddle has been solved today, as a fresh notice from County Judge Eddy Trevino Jr. orders the closure of Boca Chica Beach and Highway 4 on April 10th, with backup dates available for April 11 and April 12. However, while this is all well and good, the working of Judge Trevino's notice puts to rest any speculation of an orbital test flight as it notes:
I have ordered the closure of Boca Chica Beach and Hwy 4 for the purpose of protecting Public Health and Safety during SpaceX non-flight testing activities on April 10, 2023, in the time period between 8:00 a.m. C.S.T. to 8:00 p.m. C.S.T, and in the alternative on April 11, 2023 or April 12, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. C.S.T. to 8:00 p.m. C.S.T., of the same day. Should SpaceX not complete its planned non-flight testing on April 10, 2023, then SpaceX may use the alternate dates to complete its testing activities.
As is clear, the notice only closes the beach and the highway for "non-flight testing activities," and it is careful to maintain this throughout the notice. This is only natural as SpaceX has not received a launch license from the FAA, which is necessary for the firm to conduct the test.
On this front, rumors suggest that SpaceX is facing a flurry of lawsuits should the FAA provide it with a launch license. These suits can delay a launch attempt, and as a result, the company is eager to keep the launch date secret and launch as soon as it receives regulatory clearance. Of course, all this is speculation, but environmental issues surrounding the Boca Chica beach have been a thorny issue during Starship development.
The FAA's operations advisory continues to reserve testing dates for Starship, with placeholders for NASA's observation aircraft also in place. However, the FAA has been quick to clarify that any mention of Starship on its advisory is not an indicator of a launch license approval nor does it highlight that an approval is on the way. In the meantime, SpaceX is busy stacking and de-stacking its booster and upper-stage spacecraft, as it continues to run tests.
Written by Ramish Zafar
Refference- https://wccftech.com
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