FAA SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 Advisory Makes Shockingly Unbelievable Typo

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory for SpaceX's Starship Flight 7 has an unfortunate typographical error that misspells the vehicle's name. SpaceX confirmed earlier this week that the earliest date on which Flight 7 will lift off will be January 13th, and the advisory confirms the launch date. It also lists January 14th as a backup date, as SpaceX makes final pre-flight preparations for the test flight after stacking the upper stage Starship spacecraft on the Super Heavy booster yesterday.

SpaceX Gears Up For Starship Flight 7 & Stacks Upper Stage Ship On Super Heavy Booster

Unlike previous Starship test flights, SpaceX is heading into Starship Flight 7 after having secured the FAA's launch license approval weeks in advance. The regulator approved Starship Flight 7 in mid-December, after it worked with SpaceX to narrow down a list of potential anomalies during the mission that would not require a mishap investigation. These anomalies include failures of the heat shield, flaps, the Raptor engines during ship landing or in space and a failure of the Super Heavy's safing system after a tower catch.

After multiple air traffic control advisories speculated a potential Starship launch date for the weekend, SpaceX confirmed earlier this week that the earliest the rocket could fly would be on Monday. The FAA confirmed a Monday launch date for the world's largest rocket under-development in an advisory, but it did so in an unfortunate manner through a rare typographical error visible in our screenshot of the advisory below.

SpaceX's Starship Flight 7 will feature the most upgrades on a test flight yet for an upper stage ship. It will be the first time that the firm flies its second-generation Starship ship which upgrades several systems. These upgrades include redesigned flaps for improved endurance along with avionics and propulsion system upgrades. SpaceX will also test hardware to pre-evaluate the ship's performance during a potential catch attempt and use new heat shield tiles.

As for the first stage Super Heavy booster, Flight 7 will mark the first time that the rocket flies a reused Raptor engine. Reusability has pushed SpaceX to the top of the aerospace industry, and the upcoming test will mark the first time that not only a first-stage Starship reuses a Raptor engine but also the first reusability for the engine itself.

The Raptor is a different engine design over the Merlin engines that fly SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Its full-flow staged-combustion cycle improves fuel efficiency, while the choice of fuel, i.e., methane, leads to less soot buildup on the inside along with other advantages.

Flight 7 will also mark another attempt for an in-space Raptor engine. This test is key for the lineup's orbital launch approval from the FAA. SpaceX also plans to fly Starlink satellite simulators on Flight 7 and launch them in space with the ship. Starship is integral to Starlink's future as SpaceX has designed the second-generation Starlink satellites with the larger rocket in mind.

If the upper stage successfully splashes down in the ocean on Flight 7, then SpaceX can try to catch it with the tower on Flight 8. The upcoming flight will also feature upgrades to the launch tower for better positioning accuracy of the incoming Super Heavy booster.

Wccftech has informed the FAA about the typo so it should be rectified soon.

Update: The FAA has fixed the error.

About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.

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