US regulator greenlights Starship's next launch on Friday

WASHINGTON - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorised SpaceX to carry out its second launch of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, after a first attempt in April ended in a spectacular explosion.

In a statement, the FAA said Elon Musk's company had now "met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements" following the mishap that marred the first orbital test flight of its next-generation spaceship.

"Targeting Friday, November 17 for Starship's second flight test," SpaceX posted on X shortly after the authorisation. A two-hour launch window opens at 7am local time from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. 

Space watchers can follow a live webcast on X and SpaceX's website beginning thirty minutes before lift-off. 

On April 20, SpaceX blew up the uncrewed rocket four minutes after it blasted off. Starship experienced multiple engine failures, and its first-stage booster did not separate from the spacecraft above it.

The rocket disintegrated into a ball of fire and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, sending a dust cloud over a town several kilometers away.

The FAA quickly launched an investigation, while conservation groups announced they would sue the regulator for not doing enough to protect the environment given the proximity of a vital habitat for protected species. 

"We are concerned that the second launch will once again cause significant environmental harm," Jared Margolis, a lawyer for Center for Biological Diversity, told AFP, adding it was likely the groups would add a new claim to their lawsuit.

Starship, which stands 120m tall, produces 74.3 Meganewtons of thrust, more than double that of the Saturn V rockets used to send Apollo astronauts to the Moon.

Starship is designed to be fully reusable, with both stages meant to return to Earth, thus greatly reducing costs.