**SpaceX Aims for Sunday Launch as FAA Review Speeds Up**
Despite previous expectations of a late November approval, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may grant SpaceX its next Starship license in time for a Sunday launch attempt. This development comes after SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk publicly criticized the FAA for delaying the license review.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the FAA’s review process has accelerated, with partner agencies completing assessments more quickly than anticipated. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in the final stages of its review, paving the way for a potential Sunday launch.
The FAA removed its previous November estimate, stating that it will make a licensing determination once SpaceX meets all requirements. SpaceX had submitted new information for its proposed Starship/Super Heavy Flight 5 mission in mid-August.
The company aims to push the development of its massive Starship rocket further with its fifth flight, building on the progress of June’s fourth test flight. The upcoming mission will attempt to return and catch the rocket’s 232-foot-tall booster, a critical step towards making Starship fully reusable.
The launch window opens at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday from SpaceX’s facility near Brownsville, Texas. If successful, the Starship system could become a new method of flying cargo and people beyond Earth, with NASA planning to use it as a crewed lunar lander as part of its Artemis moon program.
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