The company will have to wait a while longer for clearance from the FAA, as it won't be able to test its next-generation Starship rocket for some time yet. The FAA's final environmental review of the launch has been delayed until May 31, the agency wrote in an update.
The PEA was through a draft stage last year. The final report from the FAA will be released at the end of next month. The review will not be released at the end of April as previously announced by the FAA.
When the Super Heavy booster and the spaceship are launched into the air, they will splash down into the ocean around 90 minutes later.
The concept of a PEA is to assess whether a planned launch could cause any threat to public safety, such as flying over a populated area, whether it raises any national security issues, or whether it has any environmental impacts. The FAA said it was finishing the review and responding to public comments after the draft report.
The FAA is finishing up the review of the Final PEA, including responding to comments and ensuring consistency with the licensing application. Before the FAA can issue the Final PEA, all consultations have to be completed.
It is not clear if the prototype of the Starship is ready for its first flight. According to space.com, Musk said last month that the company still needed to finish building its engines and integrate them into the Starship, so he was estimating May at the earliest for the first orbital test flight of the Starship.
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