SpaceX says Starship is fully stacked ahead of first orbital launch test

“The FAA has not made a license determination for the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy operation, and the FAA’s Command Center planning notice should not be interpreted as an indicator that a determination to issue a license has been made or is forthcoming,” the FAA said in a statement, according to Reuters.

While the launch date and license status are still unclear, SpaceX announced on Twitter that the Starship rocket system is fully stacked at the company’s facility in Starbase.

Starship fully stacked at Starbase. Team is working towards a launch rehearsal next week followed by Starship’s first integrated flight test ~week later pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/9VbJLppswp

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 6, 2023

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared on Twitter what appeared to be drone footage taken as the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket were assembled at the launch stack.

Starship preparing for launch 🚀 pic.twitter.com/M1pR8rsmYt

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Once the Starship rocket system is certified and licenses, it could become the most powerful launch system in history, even more powerful than the Saturn V, which took mankind to the Moon with the Apollo mission and SLS (Space Launch System), which NASA is using to chart a return path to the Moon with the Artemis missions.

In fact, NASA has selected SpaceX’s Starship to support its crewed Artemis 3 mission to the Moon. Also, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa bought tickets for Starship’s maiden “space tourism” mission to the Moon.