Share the post "Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship could make its first orbital flight in December."
SpaceX Starship is the development of SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. It is predicted to be the most powerful launch vehicle ever built and also the first to demonstrate full reusability.
The Starship is a 120-meter rocket with a diameter of 9 meters and can carry a load of up to 100 tons. The rocket consists of a “SUPER HEAVY” first-stage booster and the Starship. The first stage after the delivery of the shuttle into orbit, will return and stand back on its 6 legs, and the shuttle itself can be configured to transport goods or people
October 31, according to a Reuters source – SpaceX plans to conduct the first flight of Starship in December of this year suggested a senior NASA official. NASA is interested in developing the Starship project as the company plans to use the rocket as the first manned lunar lander for its Artemis lunar exploration program.
In May 2021, in Texas, a prototype Starship took to the air to a height of 10 kilometers to demonstrate the successful takeoff and landing of the upper part of the rocket. In December, it is planned to test the entire system, including the 70-meter Super Heavy booster and the Starship itself, 50 meters high.
As part of the first launch, the booster is going to be returned to earth, and the spacecraft will spend about 90 minutes in space before returning and landing off the coast of Hawaii.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees the safety of commercial launch sites, has yet to issue a license to launch SpaceX. It is reported that the FAA can issue a license “only after SpaceX provides all outstanding information and the agency can fully analyze it”.
Starship is supposed to be ready to replace SpaceX’s old Falcon 9 range of rockets, possibly introducing concepts like space tourism. The rocket will also be able to be used by professional astronauts for expeditions and further research.
References:
https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-orbital-launch-december
I know that there were some space trips already. They are only affordable for rich people. Even if Starship introduces space tourism, most people won’t experience being in space. When it comes to expeditions and further research, I think that it’s very important for us. For instance, Elon Musk said there are some plans to create a colony on Mars and that his rocket will be launched in 2029. In that way, people could explore Red Planet and establish how others would survive there.