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

By Joey Roulette

(Reuters) -The U.S. 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) and that local residents "may hear a loud noise" during the rocket's ascent toward space.

"The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements," the agency, which oversees commercial launch sites, said in a statement.

SpaceX's first attempt to send Starship to space was in April, when the rocket exploded mid-air four minutes after a liftoff that pulverized the company's launchpad and flung sand and concrete chunks for miles.

Though Musk, SpaceX's CEO and founder, hailed the Starship launch attempt as exceeding his expectations, it fell far short of its overall test objectives to reach space, complete nearly a full revolution around Earth and reenter the atmosphere for a splashdown off a Hawaiian coast.