SpaceX's second Starship test flight could be just days away

Starship could fly very soon

The FAA released the results of its mishap investigation in a report released on September 8. The report outlined 63 corrective actions SpaceX "must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence."

"Congrats to SpaceX for completing & document[ing] the 57 items required by the FAA for Flight 2 of Starship! Worth noting that 6 of the 63 items refer to later flights," Musk wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, September 10.

The day before, Musk shared a photo on X of Starship on the Starbase orbital launch mount with the caption "Starship Flight 2".

Congrats to SpaceX for completing & documented the 57 items required by the FAA for Flight 2 of Starship!

Worth noting that 6 of the 63 items refer to later flights. pic.twitter.com/YlPg3ywCZE

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 10, 2023

Musk noted that Starship is standing by, ready for launch. SpaceX has conducted successful static fire engine tests on both Ship 25 and Booster 9, the prototypes for the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy first stage that will fly for the second test flight.

The company also recently posted footage and images of the fully-stacked Starship rocket, which stands 394 feet tall (120 meters), upright at its re-built Starbase facility launch pad in south Texas.

Starship is "ready to launch"

SpaceX has yet to announce an official launch date for Starship's second test flight, but Musk has previously stated that it could take place almost as soon as it obtains an FAA launch license.

"Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval," Musk wrote on X on September 6. While we don't have confirmation that the FAA has awarded SpaceX a launch license yet, SpaceX underwent a similar process for its first Starship test flight, and it launched soon after it announced it was awaiting FAA approval to fly.

SpaceX will once again aim to get Starship into orbit when it does fly. If it does reach orbit, it will perform a partial orbit of Earth before targeting a hard splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

Much like with Starship's first launch, reaching orbit isn't guaranteed. Musk recently said he believes Starship has a 60 percent chance of reaching orbit on its second try after SpaceX made "well over a thousand" changes to the rocket.

SpaceX designed Starship to be the world's most powerful launch system and the first fully reusable rocket. The reusability will dramatically lower the cost of successive launches, making human spaceflight to Mars possible and fulfilling Elon Musk's ambitions to make humanity a multi-planetary civilization.