SpaceX’s Starship vehicle could take its first-ever orbital test flight by the end of April 2023, according to CEO Elon Musk, though this is dependent on approval of a license from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Starship vehicle is composed of a giant first-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft called Starship. Both are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable and powered by SpaceX’s next-gen Raptor engine. Despite only a 50% chance of success for the first-ever orbital mission, SpaceX plans to launch multiple Starship vehicles in quick succession, with about an 80% chance of reaching orbit this year. SpaceX is aiming to use the Starship to transport people and cargo to the Moon and Mars and perform a variety of other spaceflight tasks.
SpaceX Starship Set to Launch First-Ever Orbital Test Flight in April
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle is expected to launch on its first-ever orbital test flight by the end of April 2023, according to CEO Elon Musk. However, this will depend on approval for a license from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Musk recently took to Twitter, stating that “SpaceX will be ready to launch Starship in a few weeks, then launch timing depends on FAA license approval.” Assuming approval is granted, the first launch attempt will take place by the end of the third week of April.
The Starship vehicle comprises of a giant first-stage booster known as Super Heavy, and an upper-stage spacecraft called Starship. Both vehicles are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, powered by SpaceX’s next-gen Raptor engine, with 33 engines for Super Heavy and six for Starship.
Musk acknowledged that there is only a 50 percent chance that the first-ever orbital mission of SpaceX’s huge Starship vehicle will be a success. Nevertheless, the company is building multiple Starship vehicles at the South Texas site and plans to launch them in quick succession over the coming months. According to Musk, there is about an 80 percent chance that one of them will reach orbit this year.
Musk said that the giant stainless-steel vehicle would be the most powerful rocket ever to fly, with around 2.5 times more thrust at liftoff than NASA’s iconic Saturn V.
SpaceX aims to use the Starship to transport people and cargo to the Moon and Mars and perform a variety of other spaceflight tasks. Achieving full and rapid reusability is expected to take a couple more years, according to Musk.
(Source: IANS)
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