ABOUT TIME: FAA wraps up safety review of SpaceX’s huge Starship rocket.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today (Oct. 31) that it has wrapped up its Starship safety review, which assesses the risks that a launch might pose to public health and property.

However, there’s still another regulatory box to check before SpaceX can get a license for the next Starship liftoff.

“The FAA is continuing to work on the environmental review,” the agency wrote today in an emailed statement. “As part of its environmental review, the FAA is consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on an updated Biological Assessment under the Endangered Species Act. The FAA and the USFWS must complete this consultation before the environmental review portion of the license evaluation is completed.”
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The ongoing review apparently centers on the potential impacts of a water deluge system, which SpaceX installed beneath Starbase’s orbital launch mount after the April test flight.

This sure looks like footdragging designed to hurt a free-speech-loving political rival — and the national interest in Starship be damned.