The Ars Technica story was edited based on an FAA ... tweet.
(Note: at 6 pm ET on Wednesday, the FAA issued the following statement).
"The SpaceX Starship mishap investigation remains open," the agency stated. "The FAA will not authorize another Starship launch until SpaceX implements the corrective actions identified during the mishap investigation and demonstrates compliance with all the regulatory requirements of the license modification process."
There was several environmental groups that filed lawsuits after the previous launch kicked up rocks and debris. I wonder if those are all settled or of they even are with the purview of the FAA.
The eternal question of wen FAA forever remains a mystery to all outsiders.
Definitely within FAA's preview. They are the ones that do the environmental risk assessment and thus any potential damage to the environment by a flying thing needs to be checked off by them.
If the FAA is saying they're still waiting on SpaceX why would musk say they're just waiting on the FAA? Miscommunication? Trying to pressure them to go quicker?
SpaceX has completed their mishap report, which states what they believe are the required corrective actions, actions which, it can likely be assumed, they have already completed. So all that is needed, from their standpoint, is for the FAA to accept their report, accept their corrective actions, accept the actions as done, and issue the launch license.
FAA could, however, decide against any of those things - that the report hasn't covered something, that other actions are required, that the actions haven't been properly done.
This is entirely in line with everything that both FAA and SpaceX have said.