Shotwell: SpaceX Aiming for First Orbital Launch of Starship In July Written 28 June 2021

Space News reported that SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell “says the company is ‘shooting for July’ for the first orbital launch of the company’s Starship vehicle despite lacking the regulatory approvals needed for such a launch.” At the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference on Friday, Shotwell said that the company was “hoping” to conduct the launch in July, “but we all know this is difficult. We are really on the cusp of flying that system, or at least attempting the first orbital flight of that system, in the very near term.” SpaceX “last flew a Starship prototype May 5, with the SN15 vehicle flying to an altitude of 10 kilometers before making a successful landing.” Although SpaceX “originally appeared to be planning a second suborbital flight of that vehicle, it instead moved the vehicle from the launch pad. Another Starship prototype, SN16, has remained at the production site.”
Full Story (Space News)