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So FAA cleared SpaceX and then within a few days they completed their launch pretty successfully by all accounts. So does that mean SpaceX could have launched a

So FAA cleared SpaceX and then within a few days they completed their launch pretty successfully by all accounts. So does that mean SpaceX could have launched a while back with no issues and were just waiting on the FAA? Did the FAA literally just slow down progress? Not a good look on the FAA, they should just let SpaceX do what it does at the speed they want. If they cannot add any value to this engagement, the least they can do is to not subtract value.

pixl97 3y ago
When you're launching the largest and heaviest rocket ever made not running headlong into creating the biggest fuel air explosion is part of the regulatory agencies job. The first launch was pretty wildly out of control so everyone wants to make sure the rocket explodes when told if it doesn't go where it's supposed to.
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  I think you touch on the issue of managing public perception as part of the FAAs job. In general the public is not monolithic when it comes to this. Many people would ecstatic with the biggest fuel air explosion and thought Launch 1 was great while others were aghast. Some people even think rockets shouldn't be developed at all. As a result, you see regulators trying to find a line between covering their asses from blowback from different groups of constituents.
dotnet00 3y ago
It's a bit of a complex interplay. If the FAA were finishing their investigations very quickly, SpaceX could be more aggressive with their testing. But on the other hand, as SpaceX gets a better read on how long the FAA might take, they time their readiness to when the FAA will be done. For example, here they waited ~1 week between Starship being ready and done with a wet-dress rehearsal. If they knew that the FAA would be finishing earlier, they'd try to get through the WDR earlier. But since there's plenty of other development and testing to do on the ground, they just do that in the meantime. The FAA delays were more of an issue around IFT-1 because they really couldn't proceed on much without knowing how all the big systems they built would perform, they would've been working blind (and considering how the launch infrastructure needed further strengthening, doing too much more without that data would've probably been a waste of money). That isn't really the case now, while they wait on the FAA they can focus on the payload bays, refining the control systems, building the second launch tower etc.
ceejayoz 3y ago
> Did the FAA literally just slow down progress? Doesn't appear so, no. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_integrated_flight_test_3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_integrated_fli... > On March 5, 2024, SpaceX announced that they were targeting a launch date of March 14, 2024, pending regulatory approval. On March 13, 2024, the FAA granted the launch license for IFT-3.

pixl97 3y ago

When you're launching the largest and heaviest rocket ever made not running headlong into creating the biggest fuel air explosion is part of the regulatory agencies job. The first launch was pretty wildly out of control so everyone wants to make sure the rocket explodes when told if it doesn't go where it's supposed to.

s1artibartfast 3y ago
I think you touch on the issue of managing public perception as part of the FAAs job. In general the public is not monolithic when it comes to this. Many people would ecstatic with the biggest fuel air explosion and thought Launch 1 was great while others were aghast. Some people even think rockets shouldn't be developed at all. As a result, you see regulators trying to find a line between covering their asses from blowback from different groups of constituents.

dotnet00 3y ago

It's a bit of a complex interplay. If the FAA were finishing their investigations very quickly, SpaceX could be more aggressive with their testing. But on the other hand, as SpaceX gets a better read on how long the FAA might take, they time their readiness to when the FAA will be done. For example, here they waited ~1 week between Starship being ready and done with a wet-dress rehearsal. If they knew that the FAA would be finishing earlier, they'd try to get through the WDR earlier. But since there's plenty of other development and testing to do on the ground, they just do that in the meantime. The FAA delays were more of an issue around IFT-1 because they really couldn't proceed on much without knowing how all the big systems they built would perform, they would've been working blind (and considering how the launch infrastructure needed further strengthening, doing too much more without that data would've probably been a waste of money). That isn't really the case now, while they wait on the FAA they can focus on the payload bays, refining the control systems, building the second launch tower etc.

ceejayoz 3y ago

> Did the FAA literally just slow down progress? Doesn't appear so, no. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_integrated_flight_test_3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_integrated_fli... > On March 5, 2024, SpaceX announced that they were targeting a launch date of March 14, 2024, pending regulatory approval. On March 13, 2024, the FAA granted the launch license for IFT-3.