The Federal Aviation Administration cleared SpaceX and ran its ninth test flight of the Starship Rocket system following a succession of explosions earlier this year.
The agency said Thursday that it will “expand the size of hazard areas in both the US and other countries” for the flight, based on updated safety analysis provided by SpaceX. Spacecraft vehicles from Flights 7 and 8 had a greater chance of vehicle breakdown, resulting in larger hazard areas. Hazard areas are essentially temporary zones that establish that the FAA can impact debris.
The new hazard area, created by the FAA, is covered through the Bahamas and Turk & Caicos, which run east of Texas, and where debris from the previous two test flights landed. This is almost twice the size of the hazard area the FAA used in its latest spacecraft test flight in March.
The FAA said SpaceX will need to run test flights during its “non-peak” trip after two previous Starship Mishaps were forced to divert dozens of domestic and international flights to the agency.
SpaceX has been testing its spacecraft systems for two years since its launch complex, built in southern Texas. CEO Elon Musk argues that the ultimate purpose of the system is to send people to Mars, but the short-term goal of Starship is to allow SpaceX to launch more Starlink satellites into orbit around Earth. SpaceX also says it will use Starship to “enhance mission capabilities for NASA and the Department of Defense.”
Until now, SpaceX has launched its Starlink satellite using the Toverhorse Falcon 9. In fact, most recent Falcon 9 releases are all about StarLink.
But Starlink has already become a high-demand internet provider, but more launch capabilities could be needed as the Trump administration reportedly encourages other countries to adopt services as leverage for countless trade wars.
Musk also reportedly has deployed members of government efficiency and is helping agents test Starlink terminals as a potential solution to FAA issues in current air traffic control systems.