The Federal Aviation Administration approved a license on Saturday for the launch of SpaceX's Starship 5 set for as early as Sunday. Reuters first reported earlier this week the faster than expected timetable after the FAA in September had said it did not expect a determination on a license before late November.

The FAA is still reviewing plans for the fifth Starship test flight, but could approve it soon. The launch of another important mission, NASA's Europa Clipper, is on hold due to Hurricane Milton. "You may have read a little bit of nonsense in the papers recently."

SpaceX in its fifth Starship test flight on Sunday returned the rocket's towering first stage booster back to its Texas launch pad for the first time using giant mechanical arms, achieving another novel engineering feat in the company's push to build a reusable moon and Mars vehicle.