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As of Wednesday afternoon, everything appeared to be in place for SpaceX’s third Starship orbital flight attempt from Boca Chica Thursday morning — all that was missing was the required launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA announced just before 4 p.m. Wednesday that it had issued the license.
“The FAA is authorizing the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Orbital Flight Test 3 (OFT-3) launch,” the agency said. “The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements.
“As part of the license modification evaluation, the FAA prepared a Tiered Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Starship Indian Ocean Landings and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision.
“The license applies to all phases of the proposed OFT-3 operation. This includes pre-flight preparations and liftoff from Texas, the water landing of the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico, and the water landing of the Starship vehicle in the Indian Ocean.”
Earlier in the day, a post from SpaceX on the social media site X expressed confidence that the license would come through in time.
“Targeting Thursday, March 14 for Starship’s third flight test,” SpaceX posted. “A 110-minute launch window opens at 7 a.m. CT.”
The company’s video feed of the launch, accessible on the SpaceX website, is scheduled to go live at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The launch can also be viewed on SpaceX’s X page, though the company appears no longer to be live-streaming its Starship launches live on YouTube, judging from user comments on that platform.
Cameron County’s SpaceX web page lists Thursday as the primary launch date, with backup dates on Friday and Saturday.
In anticipation of a Thursday launch, the county parks and recreation department earlier in the week announced adjusted hours for Isla Blanca Park, a popular launch-viewing spot on the southern tip of South Padre Island. Officials said the park would close at 8 p.m. Wednesday, an hour earlier than usual, and that all park visitors would be asked to leave by 9 p.m.
Only RV campers at Isla Blanca would have access to the park after 8 p.m. and be allowed to stay, according to the department. Isla Blanca was scheduled to reopen at 3 a.m. Thursday, the expected day of the launch.
“A large influx of visitors is expected, and we ask all visitors to abide by all park rules and the flag advisory signage,” said parks Director Joe Vega. “Walking, standing or sitting on the sand dunes is prohibited. We will provide updates regarding any changes to the park hours.”
South Padre Island tourism officials, meanwhile, hoped the launch would lure more people — on top of visitors already there for Spring Break’s Texas Week, which is this week.
“Thanks to our proximity to the launch site, South Padre Island provides unparalleled access for spectators to witness this spectacle of the SpaceX Starship launch up close,” said Blake Henry, executive director of Visit South Padre Island. “We are proud to be part of this journey and look forward to welcoming visitors from near and far that have ventured to witness this historic launch.”
