Resolves YES if SpaceX Starship reaches an altitude of at least 100km (the Karman line definition of space) in 2023, otherwise NO.
This question is about vehicle designs descended from the existing designs of Starship - i.e. if they make substantial changes or rename the vehicle, it still counts. But a vehicle based on e.g. the Falcon 9 would not count, even if SpaceX called it a Starship.
(This question's criteria is chosen to be less ambiguous than the questions about whether it reaches orbit, where it is unclear whether a planned borderline-orbital test flight, with perigee within the atmosphere, counts as orbital.)
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Elon: Was just informed that approval to launch should happen in time for a Friday launch.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1724271004044644800
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@JeronimoD I know it's a lot of mana but please don't rent a boat and enter the exclusion zone on Friday!
Starship preparing to launch as early as November 17, pending final regulatory approval - X
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1723158118706839819
@jRich Pending regulatory approval is the whole ball game. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will determine when the next launch occurs and what steps are required for that to happen. My opinion is that Musk and SpaceX are not doing themselves any favours by pressuring (and mocking) FWS on X and in every interview.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will determine when the next launch occurs
This is kind of true, but it likely already happened, and the result is the scheduled date of Nov 17th. Further slippage of that date won't be because of FWS.
โโฆit likely already happenedโ
I understand that it appears FAA hasnโt yet officially issued a launch license, but where did you see evidence that FWS approved launch?
In his recent interview with Lex Fridman (at 1:18:00), Musk said โThe FAA has actually given their approval, but Fish and Wildlife has yet to finish their analysis and give their approval.โ
https://youtu.be/JN3KPFbWCy8?feature=shared
@TP8ac2 Not sure when that was recorded, but there have been developments in recent days. No official confirmation yet, only leaks from insiders who are anonymous but have a track record of giving good info (others dispute this as a reasonable way to follow what's going on, I disagree). And of course, the fact that SpaceX has actually set a date now. My current impression is that the license has been approved in some internal sense at the FAA, including everything about the FWS review. But the license has not yet been issued by the FAA, this is expected in the coming days prior to the launch attempt on the 17th.