Boca Chica, Texas – SpaceX has made significant progress on its next Starship test flight, with the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage fully stacked in preparation for the mega-rocket’s upcoming launch from South Texas. According to Kathy Lueders, the general manager of SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility, the company anticipates receiving an FAA launch license shortly after Memorial Day for the imminent test flight of the Starship. This development suggests that the rocket could take flight in late May or early June, marking a notable improvement in the turnaround time between Starship flights.
The latest Rocket Report also highlights Blue Origin’s upcoming human spaceflight mission in West Texas this weekend. Following a hiatus of nearly two years, the mission will carry six passengers to suborbital space aboard the New Shepard rocket. Among the crew members is Ed Dwight, a 90-year-old aviation pioneer who was on the verge of becoming the first Black astronaut in 1963. Despite the setback of a rocket failure in 2022, Blue Origin is gearing up to resume its human spaceflight operations, with Sunday’s flight marking the 25th launch of the New Shepard rocket.
In another development, Georgia’s Governor signed a bill dissolving the Camden County Spaceport Authority, effectively putting an end to the Spaceport Camden project following a referendum where the majority of voters opposed the initiative. The county had invested $12 million over a decade in the concept of the spaceport, aiming to attract small launch companies to the area, but no major launches materialized. State Rep. Steven Sainz, who sponsored the bill, emphasized that the decision reflects the community’s preference and opens the door for future economic initiatives aligned with local needs.
Meanwhile, Polaris Spaceplanes, a German startup, is pushing ahead with the construction of its MIRA II and MIRA III spaceplane prototypes after the loss of the MIRA demonstration vehicle earlier this year. The MIRA test vehicles, equipped with the company’s AS-1 aerospike engines, are paving the way for the AURORA spaceplane, designed to transport payloads to low-Earth orbit. The incident with the MIRA prototype has not deterred Polaris from continuing its pursuit of innovative spaceplane technology, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in the face of setbacks.