First Orbital Starship Launch Delayed by the FAA

The FAA has delayed the release of Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the first orbital starship launch, pushing the launch back to no earlier than March 2022.

On the agency's project website, the FAA said that it has received more than 18,000 public comments on the PEA, and reviewing all the comments is taking additional time. SpaceX is also preparing the Final PEA for the FAA's review and acceptance. In addition, the FAA is completing a number of consultations including Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The FAA is continuing to work with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) to complete the Section 106 process.

The FAA had planned to release the Final PEA on December 31, 2021. However, due to the high volume of comments submitted on the Draft PEA, discussions and consultation efforts with consulting parties, the FAA is announcing an update to the schedule. The FAA now plans to release the Final PEA on February 28, 2022.

The first starship orbital launch will be the first to test the full system, including the Super Heavy booster powered by 29 Raptor engines.

The FAA released the Draft PEA for public comment on September 17, 2021. The original comment period was from September 17, 2021 through October 18, 2021, and that was extended to November 1, 2021. The comment period is now closed.

The agency also held two virtual public hearings in October to solicit comments from the public concerning the scope and content of the Draft PEA. Transcripts from those hearings are available from the FAA, and the slides from a powerpoint presentation in English and Spanish made during the first of the public hearings are also available for public review.

SpaceX had been hopeful that the first orbital starship launch could be conducted early in 2022 when the initial timeline for the PEA release was December 31. But four of the five elements of the PEA are still listed as "In Progress" by the FAA, and that February 28th date is not a hard deadline, but an estimate by the FAA as to when the paperwork might be finished.

(Source: FAA. Image from SpaceX Video)