--- title: "Cops Clear Beach in Preparation for Starship Launch" description: "Another day, another chance of SpaceX launching its next Starship prototype dubbed SN15. It’s been just over a month since the Elon Musk-led space company launched its SN11 prototype in a heavy wall of fog at its launch site in South Texas. But today may just be the day SN15 will take to the skies. […]" date: "2021-05-05" modified: "2021-05-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cops-clear-beach-in-preparation-for-starship-launch" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Cops Clear Beach in Preparation for Starship Launch ![Another day, another chance of SpaceX launching its next Starship prototype. Local sheriffs have cleared the beach in preparation.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Maybe Today Another day, another chance of SpaceX launching its next Starship prototype. It's been a bit over a month since the Elon Musk-led space company launched its SN11 prototype[ in a heavy wall of fog]() at its launch site in South Texas. SN11 was the fourth full-scale prototype of the Mars-bound rocket to both fly to roughly an altitude of ten kilometers — and, like its predecessors, meet its demise in a [massive explosion](). Now, today may just be the day that SN15 will finally take to the skies. In fact, local sheriff deputies started clearing the beaches near the site, with "all indications are that SpaceX is pressing forward with a Starship SN15 launch attempt today," as *NASASpaceflight.com* photographer Michael Baylor [tweeted](). https://youtu.be/NPNvB5ComFw ## Scrub or Launch Since the last explosion, SpaceX has [gotten the blessing]() from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch the next three Starship prototypes — that is, if SN15 doesn't end in total disaster. All week, onlookers near the launch site have been trying to figure out when SpaceX will decide to launch SN15. An FAA operations advisory posted early this morning scheduled a Starship launch. But that's far from a guarantee. SpaceX has delayed the launch [several times]() already this week. Images [taken Tuesday evening]() showed workers making adjustments underneath the spacecraft's skirts and venting fuel from its nose. When it's finally time, though, we'll definitely be watching. **More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Cancels Launch of Spaceship That Keeps Exploding]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()