SpaceX Eyes January for Starship Flight 7 as FAA Reviews Launch Expansion

NASA plans imaging operations for the mission, while SpaceX seeks approval for increased launch frequency from its Texas facility.

SpaceX's Starship Flight 7 is tentatively scheduled for January 11, 2025, pending FAA approval and operational readiness.
NASA has requested FAA authorization to conduct imaging calibration flights in Texas for the mission, using a Gulfstream aircraft with minimal lighting to study the spacecraft's reentry heating.
The FAA has released an updated draft environmental assessment for increasing Starship launches to 25 annually, with public hearings scheduled for January 2025.
SpaceX successfully completed Starship Flight 6 on November 19, achieving a water landing for both the booster and upper-stage spacecraft while testing key reusability features.
The Starship program is critical to NASA's Artemis lunar missions, with SpaceX under pressure to prepare a modified Starship for the Artemis III mission in 2026.