SpaceX president hoping for a Starship orbital launch in July

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's President said the company is "shooting for July" for its first Starship rocket orbit launch. Speaking at the National Space Society's International Space Development Conference, Shotwell said: "I'm hoping we make it, but we all know that this is difficult. We are really on the cusp of flying that system, or at least attempting the first orbital flight of that system, really in the very near term."

The orbital test of the Starship rocket, which is expected to last around 90 minutes, is set to launch from South Texas and splash down off the coast of Hawaii, according to the company's FCC filing in May. However, SpaceX hasn't yet received the regulatory approvals needed for such a launch.

The regulatory reviews, which needed to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, would grant SpaceX a launch license, the source added. As it stands, SpaceX's existing license only covers suborbital flights of the Starship rocket.

The reviews need to ensure that the Starship-Super Heavy system won't damage nearby wildlife or ecosystems around its launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas - which wouldn't be processed in time for an early July launch, Insider previously reported.