The tug of war over SpaceX launching the biggest rocket ever

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is investing billions of dollars and years of effort to develop the most powerful rocket ever built. Rocket science is only part of the challenge.

SpaceX is squaring off against government regulators as it seeks to test launch its nearly 400-foot-tall Starship rocket more frequently. Company executives and some members of Congress have raised concerns about the pace of approvals for the flights. NASA has a big stake in SpaceX’s campaign as well, counting on Starship to carry out some of its boldest missions.

The company said Friday that it was looking to blast off Starship in its fifth test flight as soon as Sunday. To do so then or on another date, SpaceX will need signoff from the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial space launches.

An FAA official said in September that the timing of the next launch was being driven by environmental reviews, which include an analysis of sonic booms expected during the mission. The FAA has said SpaceX turned in new information in mid-August about the impact of the flight, requiring work with federal agencies.

SpaceX needs to show that Starship, which consists of a booster that propels a separate craft, can fly as it hopes. The company has advanced the vehicle over four previous test missions that began in April of last year, but technical hurdles remain.

The company has sought faster regulatory approvals so it can work through problems and gather data. It also criticized what it described as “superfluous” environmental analysis to get clearance for rocket tests. Executives have said many flights are needed before Starship would carry humans.

Musk last month also called on the agency’s administrator, Mike Whitaker, to resign, after the FAA proposed fines tied to other SpaceX launches.

The approval timeline drew attention from some members of Congress, who questioned how the FAA handled the situation.

“This is an issue where we could have resolved whatever the issues you bring up are without delaying this entire launch by two months,” Rep. Kevin Kiley (R., Calif.) told Whitaker at a House Transportation Committee hearing.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a key SpaceX customer, is watching Starship’s progress. The space agency has committed to paying SpaceX about $4 billion to use Starship to transport astronauts to the moon during two missions under Artemis, an exploration campaign that NASA has delayed because of technical challenges. The first landing is scheduled to occur in roughly two years, and keeping to that schedule will require major efforts by a host of contractors and NASA itself.

Bill Nelson, the space agency’s administrator, has spoken with the FAA’s Whitaker about Starship and its importance to NASA, people familiar with the matter said.

A NASA spokeswoman said that Nelson works across the government, including with the FAA, to highlight Artemis, including Starship’s role. FAA officials have said the agency is committed to safe flight and supporting U.S. space programs and working with space companies.

For the fifth test flight, SpaceX has said it will try to catch the booster for Starship using mechanical arms installed on a tower adjacent to the launchpad. Catching the booster would mark a step toward making the rocket fully and rapidly reusable, according to the company. Reusing rockets makes them cheaper and increases access to space, Musk has said.

SpaceX also needs to meet environmental rules tied to Starship and Starbase, its site for the vehicle in South Texas.

The Environmental Protection Agency alleged SpaceX violated a federal clean-water law at Starbase, spilling rocket propellant into wetlands and discharging so-called deluge water. SpaceX disputed the allegations, but said it chose to pay fines that environmental regulators assessed and focus on its missions.

Deluge water is left over from a system SpaceX installed after the first Starship launch, which spread debris over nearly 400 acres of land and started a fire. The system uses water to dampen the power of the rocket’s engines during liftoff.

SpaceX had to clarify with the FAA that it was meeting environmental rules after the agency learned of the EPA’s claims, according to a FAA spokesman. SpaceX has said it has operated the deluge system with a permit from a Texas regulator, and it works closely with state and federal regulators to mitigate environmental effects of its launches.

Environmental organizations have also sued the FAA, claiming it should have conducted a more in-depth review of the Starship program in Texas. The agency sought to have that case dismissed.

Andrew Tangel contributed to this article.