SpaceX Launches Could Resume as Early as Next Month After April Rocket Explosion

Key takeaways

• SpaceX could get its Mars mission Super Heavy rocket re-licenced as soon as next month
• But there’s one more agency review needed on top of the FAA approval which could take months
• SpaceX has a valuation of $150 billion as of July this year

SpaceX might be back in business to relaunch rockets in a matter of weeks. The space exploration company’s landmark Starship Super Heavy rocket has been grounded for six months after it exploded in April.

The FAA gave SpaceX a list of requirements to get the rocket launched again and is hopeful about the timescale, but there’s another agency involved which could majorly hold up Elon’s plans to get the Super Heavy rocket back on the launchpad for another test run.

Let’s get into what’s happening with SpaceX’s landmark rocketship and whether there’s been any investor chatter about the situation.

What’s the latest with SpaceX?

In April, SpaceX’s first trial launch of the Starship Super Heavy rocket ended in disaster. The rocket suffered multiple engine failures but got into the air before failing to separate and spinning out of control. SpaceX then decided to explode the rocket intentionally.

The launch pulverized the launchpad. Since then, the FAA concluded there were “multiple root causes” of the Starship failure and 63 corrective actions were required to get the Super Heavy rocket re-licenced.

“We’re working well with them and have been in good discussions. Teams are working together, and I think we’re optimistic sometime next month,” the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Polly Trottenberg, said on Wednesday.

However, the literal fly in the ointment is that SpaceX still needs separate environmental approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before it can launch again. There’s no word on how long the approval might take from the agency — so SpaceX might have to wait a little longer to get the rocket launched again.

In a plot twist, the FWS hasn’t even started its investigation. The government agency says it needs more information from the FAA to see whether its opinion on Starbase, SpaceX’s launch facility, needs to change. An investigation can take up to 135 days to complete.

Has the grounding affected SpaceX’s valuation?

The rocket is central to Musk’s ambition to get people to visit and eventually live on Mars, but SpaceX has plenty else going on. Its satellite internet subsidiary, Starlink, has grown massively since its inception and has over 4,000 satellites with 1.5 million subscribers.

SpaceX isn’t a publicly listed company anyone can invest in, but there’s speculation the company could go for a market debut in the next few years. In July, the company was valued at a whopping $150 billion following a share sale with existing investors. The space exploration company agreed with existing and new investors to sell up to $750 million in stock from insider shares at $81 apiece.

The bottom line

SpaceX and Musk are probably itching to get the Super Heavy rocket back into testing conditions, but there’s the small matter of pesky agency reviews to conclude before that happens. Jokes aside, investors are focused more on SpaceX’s potential than the rocket setback — which bodes well for the company’s long-term viability.