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SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, is set to launch on its third test flight from the company’s Boca Chica launchpad in Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may grant SpaceX its next Starship license in time for a Sunday launch attempt, despite previous delays. SpaceX has been urging the FAA to expedite the review process for the fifth Starship test flight. The FAA’s assessment process has accelerated, with partner agencies completing reviews ahead of schedule. The FAA recently revised its statement on issuing the license for Starship’s upcoming flight.

SpaceX is aiming to advance the development of its massive Starship rocket with the fifth test flight. Following a successful intentional splashdown in the Indian Ocean during the fourth test flight in June, the company plans to attempt to return and catch the rocket’s booster upon landing. The booster is expected to fly back to the launch site and land between a pair of “chopsticks” on the tower. The launch window for the fifth Starship flight opens at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday from SpaceX’s facility near Brownsville, Texas.

Starship, standing at 397 feet tall and about 30 feet in diameter, is designed to be fully reusable and aims to revolutionize space travel for cargo and crew missions beyond Earth. The rocket plays a crucial role in NASA’s plans for returning astronauts to the moon, as SpaceX secured a contract from the agency to utilize Starship as a crewed lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis program.

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