The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed a safety inspection of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed in a statement sent to reporters today. The FAA and SpaceX have been working together for months after Starship’s first orbital test flight saw the rocket explode in mid-air after failing to clear the stage separation. The inspection was further complicated by extensive damage to the launch pad following the test flight in April, and this portion of the Starship orbital test flight inspection also involves the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

FAA completes Starship’s safety review, but approval from FWS still pending

SpaceX continued to test the entire Starship suite, optional second stage, and Raptor engines until FAA and FWS approval. Earlier this month, the company conducted a full rehearsal for its long-awaited orbital test flight attempt. In it, SpaceX fully loaded the first stage of the Super Heavy booster and the second stage of Starship with fuel and propellant, tested the rocket pumps, and completed the testing with the launch of the drainage system.

The water drainage system is designed to protect the pad from Starship Super Heavy’s millions of pounds of thrust during launch. It’s a new addition to the launch pad, and SpaceX installed the flood system fairly quickly after Starship’s first test flight left a crater in the ground and caused dust to fall on nearby towns.

This system is also one of the reasons why SpaceX has not yet attempted to launch Starship into orbit. FWS officials regularly visit the company’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, to evaluate the system. But while the FAA’s safety review of Starship is now complete, there is no firm timeline for FWS clearance.

The FAA confirmed in a statement sent earlier today that it had completed the safety review of Starship. He added that the process includes understanding SpaceX’s safety processes and risk criteria for Starship launches, and that the FWS review is still ongoing.

According to the agency:

Security analysis focuses on issues that affect public health and property safety. It consists of evaluation of the applicant’s safety organization, system safety processes, flight safety analysis, and quantitative risk criteria for vehicle ejection, reentry, and destruction.

The FAA continues to work on the environmental review. As part of the environmental review, the FAA is consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on an updated biological assessment under the Endangered Species Act. The FAA and USFWS must complete this consultation before the environmental review portion of the license evaluation is completed.

Although the exact timing of the FWS review was not available, the agency’s previous statements indicated that Starship continued its biological evaluation with the FAA on October 19. According to the agency, it has 135 days to complete that review, but not yet. We hope to take up all your time.”

SpaceX’s water ventilation system releases significant amounts of water and vapor into the environment during launch. Some of the areas FWS will investigate include determining whether this runoff threatens wildlife in the area.

Securing and operating the launch pad for test rockets has always been a difficult part for SpaceX. The company’s Falcon 1 rocket was planned to take off from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands after the Air Force refused to allow the Falcon 1 to fly from Vandenberg Space Force Base while other operational rockets were in the field carrying valuable payloads.