SpaceX showcases its Starship standing tall in Boca Chica in thrilling drone video

SpaceX’s next-generation rocket Starship is standing tall at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica of Texas and is awaiting its first orbital launch likely to be conducted this year. And while Starship awaits liftoff for its first around-the-world spaceflight, SpaceX has shared a thrilling drone video showing the majestic rocket attached to a launch tower. The video showcases an unstacked Starship which is suspended next to the Super Heavy booster.

The structure that Starship is attached to is the launch and catch tower which has been specially designed to launch the rocket and catch the Super Heavy booster after it descends to the launch pad. Shared on Twitter on February 19, the one-minute-long video has garnered over 15 lakh views so far. Meanwhile, the rocket is yet to be approved for a flight by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), however, CEO Elon Musk had said that he is confident that the approval will be granted in a few months. 

'Highly confident about Starship launch': Elon Musk

 In a presentation organised at SpaceX’s R&D facility in Boca Chica earlier this month, Musk had said that he is "highly confident" about launching Starship in a few months. As for the approval from FAA, he had said, "I think we're tracking to have the regulatory approval and hardware readiness around the same time. Hopefully, you know, basically a couple of months for both (launch and approval)". The FAA approves a launch after conducting a review of factors including public safety, national security, insurance requirements for the launch operator and potential environmental impact. 

However, it is worth mentioning that the FAA had delayed its approval grant by a month. In a recent announcement, the agency said, "The FAA intended to release the Final PEA on February 28, 2022. The FAA now plans to release the Final PEA on March 28, 2022, to account for further comment review and ongoing interagency consultations. A notice will be sent to individuals and organizations on the project distribution list when the Final PEA is available".