@kgoldsholl @arstechnica I think you're talking about the Starship SN8 suborbital test flight in Dec 2020? It had a launch license but violated public safety conditions without a waiver. The whole operation was grounded and investigated after that. https://spacenews.com/spacex-violated-launch-license-in-starship-sn8-launch/ I think an orbital flight test without a license would be a lot worse, both for public safety and in the eyes of the FAA. It would show blatant disregard for their authority and be a 2nd, worse offense.