Elon Musk is hopeful he can launch his new monster rocket system in maybe a couple of months.
In a presentation made while standing in front of what he calls the Starship, the US entrepreneur said the vehicle was close technically to being ready.
Much depends now on the Federal Aviation Administration. It's the licensing authority and it will not issue a permission to fly until an environmental assessment is complete.
This should report back by March.
"I think we're tracking to have the regulatory approval and hardware readiness around the same time," he told the audience at his SpaceX company's R&D facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
"Hopefully, you know, basically a couple months for both."
