SpaceX conducts a fueling test with its Starship vehicle on May 28, 2024. The company received an FAA launch license for a June 6 test flight. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

SpaceX's next Starship megarocket officially has a license to fly. 

2024 年 5 月 28 日，SpaceX 对其 Starship 飞行器进行了加油测试。该公司于 6 月 6 日获得了 FAA 的试飞发射许可证。 （图片来源：SpaceX via X）SpaceX 的下一个 Starship 巨型火箭正式获得飞行许可证。 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday (June 4) issued a launch license to SpaceX for its Starship Flight 4 test mission, which is currently scheduled to lift off no earlier than Thursday, June 6, from the company's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. 

美国联邦航空管理局 (FAA) 周二（6 月 4 日）向 SpaceX 颁发了星际飞船 4 号测试任务的发射许可证，该任务目前计划不早于 6 月 6 日星期四从该公司位于博卡奇卡附近的 Starbase 设施升空德克萨斯州南部的海滩。 

"The FAA has approved a license authorization for SpaceX Starship Flight 4," FAA officials wrote in a statement. "SpaceX met all safety and other licensing requirements for this test flight."

FAA 官员在一份声明中写道：“FAA 已批准 SpaceX Starship Flight 4 的许可授权。” “SpaceX 满足了本次试飞的所有安全和其他许可要求。”

As its name suggests, SpaceX's Starship Flight 4 mission is the fourth test flight of the company's Starship and Super Heavy launch vehicle. When fully assembled, they stand nearly 400 feet tall and are the world's largest and most powerful rocket. SpaceX has designed Starship as a fully reusable ultra-heavy lift launch system for missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. NASA's Artemis program, for one, has selected Starship as the lander to carry Artemis 3 astronauts to the south pole of the moon in 2026.

顾名思义，SpaceX 的 Starship Flight 4 任务是该公司 Starship 和 Super Heavy 运载火箭的第四次试飞。完全组装后，它们高近 400 英尺，是世界上最大、最强大的火箭。 SpaceX 将 Starship 设计为完全可重复使用的超重型升空发射系统，用于执行月球、火星及其他地方的任务。例如，美国宇航局的阿尔忒弥斯计划选择 Starship 作为着陆器，于 2026 年将阿尔忒弥斯 3 号宇航员运送到月球南极。

But before Starship can fly to the moon, SpaceX has to prove the shiny, stainless steel rocket can reach orbit. 

但在 Starship 飞向月球之前，SpaceX 必须证明闪亮的不锈钢火箭能够到达轨道。 

The company has flown three test flights to date: A failed debut in April 2023 that destroyed SpaceX's launch pad as well as the rocket; a second flight in November of that year that also failed to reach space; and the latest Starship Flight 3 launch on March 18 of this year, which reached space for the first time before the vehicle and its Super Heavy booster were lost prior to reaching their final splashdown targets.

迄今为止，该公司已进行了三次试飞：2023 年 4 月的首次试飞失败，摧毁了 SpaceX 的发射台和火箭；同年 11 月的第二次飞行也未能抵达太空；今年 3 月 18 日最新的 Starship Flight 3 发射，在飞行器及其超重型助推器在达到最终溅落目标之前丢失之前首次进入太空。

After each Starship launch test, the FAA conducted time-consuming failure investigations and made recommendations that SpaceX had to address before each subsequent launch attempt. For Starship Flight 4, SpaceX and the FAA have agreed on a different approach. 

每次 Starship 发射测试后，FAA 都会进行耗时的故障调查，并提出 SpaceX 在每次后续发射尝试之前必须解决的建议。对于 Starship Flight 4，SpaceX 和 FAA 已就不同的方法达成一致。 

"As part of its request for license modification, SpaceX proposed three scenarios involving the Starship entry that would not require an investigation in the event of the loss of the vehicle. The FAA approved the scenarios as test induced damage exceptions after evaluating them as part of the flight safety and flight hazard analyses and confirming they met public safety requirements," FAA officials said in the statement. "If a different anomaly occurs with the Starship vehicle an investigation may be warranted as well as if an anomaly occurs with the Super Heavy booster rocket."

“作为许可证修改请求的一部分，SpaceX 提出了三种涉及星舰进入的场景，在车辆丢失的情况下不需要进行调查。美国联邦航空管理局 (FAA) 在对这些场景进行评估后，将其批准为测试引起的损坏例外情况。飞行安全和飞行危险分析并确认它们符合公共安全要求，”美国联邦航空局官员在声明中表示。 “如果星舰飞行器出现不同的异常情况，以及超重型助推火箭出现异常情况，则可能需要进行调查。”

That agreement suggests SpaceX has identified three likely ways in which its Starship or Super Heavy could fail (such as loss during reentry) that the company and FAA agreed wouldn't need a lengthy investigation. The three scenarios did not appear to be detailed in the FAA's 6-page launch license.

该协议表明 SpaceX 已经确定了其 Starship 或 Super Heavy 可能发生故障的三种可能方式（例如再入过程中的损失），该公司和 FAA 同意不需要进行长时间的调查。美国联邦航空管理局 (FAA) 长达 6 页的启动许可证似乎并未详细说明这三种情况。

For Flight 4, SpaceX aims to fly its Starship and Super Heavy booster on a similar trajectory as its Flight 3 test, a mission that would launch the Starship vehicle up to orbital velocity, then reenter the craft over the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, is expected to return toward South Texas and make a controlled "landing" in the Gulf of Mexico.

对于 Flight 4，SpaceX 的目标是按照与 Flight 3 测试类似的轨迹飞行其 Starship 和超重型助推器，该任务将把 Starship 飞行器发射到轨道速度，然后在印度洋上空重新进入飞行器。与此同时，超重型助推器预计将返回德克萨斯州南部，并在墨西哥湾进行受控“着陆”。

"The fourth flight test turns our focus from achieving orbit to demonstrating the ability to return and reuse Starship and Super Heavy," SpaceX wrote in a mission overview." The primary objectives will be executing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico with the Super Heavy booster, and achieving a controlled entry of Starship."

SpaceX 在任务概述中写道：“第四次飞行测试将我们的重点从进入轨道转向展示返回和重复使用星舰和超重型的能力。”主要目标将是在墨西哥湾执行着陆燃烧和软溅落借助超重型助推器，实现星舰的受控进入。”

In recent weeks, SpaceX has performed a series of fueling tests for both the Flight 4 Starship and its Super Heavy booster. Both vehicles apparently passed with flying colors. 

最近几周，SpaceX 为 Flight 4 Starship 及其超重型助推器进行了一系列加油测试。两辆车显然都出色地通过了测试。 

"Starship is ready to fly," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (June 3). 

SpaceX 首席执行官埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk) 周一（6 月 3 日）在 X（前身为 Twitter）上写道：“星舰已准备好起飞。”