§A · Dispatch · Landing
Elon Musk flies from Napa to Hawthorne the week of SpaceX's Starship review
The brief hop to SpaceX's backyard comes as the FAA considers revised launch licenses for the next Starship test flight.
By celebplanes · 1 min read · Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Elon Musk flew from Napa County Airport to Hawthorne Municipal Airport on May 28, a 78-minute hop that landed at Jack Northrop Field, home to SpaceX's headquarters and primary rocket factory. The Gulfstream G450 tail N450GG touched down just before 7 p.m. local time.
The same week, per an FAA notice published May 27, the agency is reviewing SpaceX's updated launch license application for the next Starship integrated test flight from Boca Chica, Texas. Musk has publicly called the regulatory pace 'painfully slow' on X, and the Hawthorne visit aligns with internal meetings to finalize vehicle modifications required for approval.
This is at least the fourth time in May that one of Musk's jets has landed at Hawthorne, according to recent flight data. The pattern suggests a concentrated push at headquarters ahead of what SpaceX hopes will be a summer launch window for Starship's eighth flight.
Aboard the Gulfstream G450
The aircraft
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