Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced it will attempt to test-launch its powerful Starship rocket Monday morning with no one aboard.
The announcement comes after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a license allowing for the launch to take place from SpaceX's private spaceport on the Texas coast.
"After a comprehensive license evaluation process, the FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, payload, airspace integration, and financial responsibility requirements," the FAA said Friday. "The license is valid for five years."
Following the FAA's approval, Musk tweeted, "Success maybe, excitement guaranteed!"
Success maybe, excitement guaranteed! https://t.co/LoDrBmHkQa
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2023
SpaceX has spent years developing the nearly 500-foot-tall rocket, and it’s not only the biggest rocket ever built but also a crucial part of a $3 billion NASA contract to send humans back to the moon as early as 2025 and eventually to Mars.
According to SpaceX, the company has no plans to conduct any rocket or spacecraft vertical landings for this demonstration, and everything is expected to land into the sea.
The 150-minute test window opens at 7 a.m. CT, and a live webcast of the test will start 45 minutes before liftoff, according to SpaceX.
On Sunday, SpaceX announced that it was completing final checkups and said the weather looks good for now but will continue to monitor "wind shear," and noted that the schedule is "dynamic and likely to change."
