Ahead of months of waiting for approval for the next Starship launch, SpaceX has gone on the offensive regarding the red tape surrounding the process and the ongoing environmental assessment.

According to SpaceX, the next Starship has been ready to go since August. The company has adopted a fast iterative strategy, adding more targets with each flight. For the fifth flight, SpaceX hopes to "capture" the Super Heavy Booster as it returns to the launch pad.

However, SpaceX has also been the subject of complaints over its environmental record. The company claims that the failure in US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval from September to November is due to what it called "bad faith hysterics" rather than genuine safety concerns.

It argued that the delay was not based on a new safety concern "but instead driven by redundant environmental analysis."