Summary
SpaceX’s Starship program is gearing up for its next major milestone: launching from low-Earth orbit back to its launch pad in South Texas. To achieve this, the company must navigate a complex web of geography and safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released documents outlining potential environmental impacts from new launch and reentry trajectories, which propose flying Starship over Mexico and portions of South Texas. While public safety issues and foreign policy concerns may arise, the FAA concludes that the proposed flight paths would have "no significant impacts" in any category.
The Path to Orbit
For a successful return and catch at the launch tower, SpaceX must overcome the tyranny of geography. Unlike launches over the open ocean from Cape Canaveral, Florida, rockets departing from South Texas must follow a narrow corridor to steer clear of downrange land masses. All 10 of the rocket’s test flights so far have launched from Texas toward splashdowns in the Indian or Pacific Oceans, never completing a full orbit around the Earth.
The next major milestone in Starship’s development after achieving orbital flight is recovering the rocket’s Starship upper stage. This will require significant technological advancements and infrastructure investments. SpaceX has already recovered and reflown Super Heavy boosters but won’t be ready to recover the Starship upper stage until next year, at the soonest.
Reentry Corridors
New maps published by the FAA show where the first Starships returning to Texas may fly when they streak through the atmosphere. The proposed reentry corridor would bring Starship well north of major US cities like San Diego, Phoenix, and El Paso, Texas. During the final segment of Starship’s return trajectory, the vehicle will begin a vertical descent over Starbase before a final landing burn to slow it down for the launch pad’s arms to catch it in midair.
The FAA has evaluated potential impacts in aviation emissions and air quality, noise and noise-compatible land use, hazardous materials, and socioeconomics. The regulator concluded that the new flight paths proposed by SpaceX would have "no significant impacts" in any of these categories.
Setting Up for Reentry
To set up for this reentry trajectory, SpaceX must launch Starship into an orbit with exactly the right inclination or angle to the equator. There are safety constraints for SpaceX and the FAA to consider here, too. All of the Starship test flights to date have launched toward the east, threading between South Florida and Cuba, south of the Bahamas, and north of Puerto Rico before heading over the North Atlantic Ocean.
Another map released by the FAA shows two possible paths Starship could take. One option goes to the southeast between Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the western tip of Cuba, then directly over Jamaica as the rocket accelerated into orbit over the Caribbean Sea. The other would see Starship departing South Texas on a northeasterly path and crossing over North Florida before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
Airspace Closures
The proposed launch and reentry trajectories would result in temporary airspace closures, the FAA said. This could force delays or rerouting of anywhere from seven to 400 commercial flights for each launch, according to the FAA’s assessment. Launch airspace closures are already the norm for Starship test flights. The FAA concluded that the reentry path over Mexico would require the closure of a swath of airspace covering more than 4,200 miles.
This would affect up to 200 more commercial airplane flights during each Starship mission. Eventually, the FAA aims to shrink the airspace closures as SpaceX demonstrates improved reliability with Starship test flights. By then, SpaceX will move some flights of Starship to Florida’s Space Coast, where rockets can safely launch in many directions over the Atlantic.
Conclusion
The next chapter in Starship’s development is a crucial one, as it involves overcoming significant technical and logistical challenges. If successful, this milestone will demonstrate a key capability underpinning Elon Musk’s hopes for a fully reusable rocket. SpaceX must navigate complex safety concerns and ensure that public safety issues and foreign policy concerns are addressed. The FAA has concluded that the proposed flight paths would have "no significant impacts" in any category, but more analysis is needed to confirm this assessment.
Ultimately, Starship’s success depends on its ability to launch and recover regularly, demonstrating improved reliability with each test flight. This will enable all of the things SpaceX wants to do with Starship, including flying missions to Mars and lunar landing for NASA. The coming months will be critical in determining whether Starship can overcome its challenges and achieve orbit.