FAA approves license for SpaceX's second launch of Starship Super Heavy

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday granted Elon Musk's SpaceX a license to launch the company's second test flight of its next-generation Starship and heavy-lift rocket from Texas, the agency said. The regulatory green light for SpaceX comes seven months after the company first attempted to send its giant Starship rocket to space in a mission that ended four minutes after liftoff in an in-flight explosion.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday granted Elon Musk's SpaceX a license to launch the company's second test flight of its next-generation Starship and heavy-lift rocket from Texas, the agency said. SpaceX said it was targeting Friday for a launch, saying a two-hour launch window opens at 7 a.m. Central Time (1300 GMT).

"The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements," the agency, which oversees commercial launch sites, said in a statement. The regulatory green light for SpaceX comes seven months after the company first attempted to send its giant Starship rocket to space in a mission that ended four minutes after liftoff in an in-flight explosion.