Elon Musk lost his claim as having the most powerful space-worthy rocket
when NASA blasted its own mega rocket to the moon in November.
But the SpaceX
founder could win back the title with his company's next big project.
Starship, SpaceX's skyscraping rocket
and spacecraft, will launch on its first mission soon.
During the test flight,
the colossal booster will separate about three minutes after liftoff
and land in the Gulf of Mexico, according to federal filings.
The ship will fly in space around Earth at an altitude of over 150 miles,
then splash down off the Hawaiian coast.
This will be a crucial demonstration of hardware NASA is depending on
to get humans back on the moon in the next few years.
And, if successful, it'll mean Musk is one small step closer
to realizing his personal dream of building a city on Mars.
The billionaire business magnate has oversold timelines in the past,
- [Musk] Timelines. I’m not the best at that sort of thing.
but here's what we know so far.
What is the SpaceX Starship?
Starship is a super-heavy-lift rocket and spacecraft,
built to carry immense cargo and numerous astronauts into deep space.
The 400-foot-tall stainless steel tower looms over NASA's rocket,
the Space Launch System.
It would take about five billboards stacked on
top of the latter to measure up to Musk's space vehicle.
SpaceX estimates its rocket also has about twice as much thrust.
The rocket is made of stainless steel, a material Musk is particularly
fond of due to its relatively low price.
Unlike NASA's mega
moon rocket, which flies on super-chilled liquid hydrogen and oxygen,
this beast is fueled with 10 million pounds of liquid methane and oxygen.
The new fuel can be stored at more manageable temperatures
than liquid hydrogen, meaning it doesn't need as much insulation
and is less prone to leaks, a problem that often stymies NASA launches.
Starship is intended to evolve into a fully reusable launch and landing
system, designed for trips to the moon, Mars, and other destinations.
- That's really the holy grail of rocketry.
- Because it will make spaceflight more affordable to the average person.
He said, “It's a very hard thing to do.
It's only barely possible with the physics of Earth.”
How will NASA use Starship?
NASA plans to use Starships to land astronauts on the moon
during Artemis III and IV, two upcoming missions
which could come as early as 2025 and 2027, respectively.
The space agency has tapped SpaceX to develop a human landing system
version of Starship with a $4 billion contract.
As part of the deal, the company will need to demonstrate
an uncrewed test flight to the moon beforehand.
During Artemis III, Starship will transfer astronauts
from NASA's Orion spacecraft to the lunar south pole and back.
But in the fourth mission, Starship is expected to dock
at a moon-orbiting space station, the yet-to-be-built Gateway,
and ferry astronauts back and forth to the moon.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson told reporters in December
that SpaceX appears to be on schedule with the contract
and intends to do an uncrewed moon landing toward the end of this year.
That mission would be followed by another landing with astronauts in late 2024.
Nelson said, “Slips are always possible because it's a brand new system.
But they have been quite impressive with what they have done with
other systems.”
When is Starship's first space launch?
SpaceX is indeed close to launching Starship,
despite the fact that the company has not formally announced a date.
Shortly into January,
the company stacked the jumbo rocket at its launch pad on Texas' Gulf Coast,
then loaded it with fuel for a so-called “wet dress rehearsal.”
SpaceX said the test, a key practice run for any new rocket, was successful.
Next the team said it would disassemble Starship
for a test fire of the rocket booster’s 33 Raptor engines,
But in order for Starship to actually reach ignition,
the Federal Aviation Administration must license the launch,
which won't be done until “SpaceX meets all licensing, safety
and other regulatory requirements.”
Where will Starship launch?
Perhaps surprisingly, Starship won't lift off from Kennedy Space Center
in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where most space fans are accustomed
to watching historically significant launches.
Instead, it will take off from Boca Chica, Texas, at SpaceX's own spaceport.
Eventually, the company will launch the rocket
from a site under construction in the outer
perimeter of the famous Florida pad that shot Apollo 11 to the moon.
Nelson said,
“Their plan is that they're going to do a few test flights there,” in South Texas.
“Once they have the confidence, they will bring the missions to the Cape.”
How likely is Starship to succeed?
SpaceX has launched partial prototypes of Starship to practice
landing, and several exploded or crashed in the process.
One succeeded in returning unscathed, however, in May 2021,
after flying about six miles up in the sky.
Musk, who doesn't parse words when it comes to the realities of spaceflight,
once said Starship's test in space wasn't likely to succeed on the first try.
“There's a lot of risk associated with this first launch,
so I would not say that it is likely to be successful.
But I think we will make a lot of progress.”
What is SpaceX's plan for Mars?
The SpaceX founder’s ultimate vision is to use a fleet of Starships
to send 1 million humans to Mars by 2050.
To be clear, Musk doesn't just want to establish
a place for people to visit but a self-sustaining city.
He imagines that, with a bit of warming, humans could restore a thick atmosphere
and oceans on Mars,
making it a more hospitable environment, even able to grow crops.
“There's a fundamental juncture in the history
of really any civilization on a single planet,
which is, do you get to the second planet, or do you not?
I propose we do, and I think we should do it
as soon as possible.”
The spacecraft would be spacious enough for 100 passengers,
along with their luggage, plus the materials to build homes,
businesses, rocket fuel stations, and iron foundries.
The journey
getting there would be long, Musk said, but the Starship would have entertainment,
such as zero-gravity games, movies, lectures, and a restaurant.
“It can't feel cramped or boring,” he said.
“It'll be really fun to go. You'll have a great time.”