Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, tweeted that the Starship vehicle’s first-ever orbital test flight could take place by the end of April 2023, pending approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Starship vehicle consists of a Super Heavy first-stage booster and a Starship upper-stage spacecraft and is designed to be fully reusable. Although Musk stated that there is only a 50% chance of the first-ever orbital mission being successful, SpaceX is building multiple Starship vehicles, with an 80% chance of at least one reaching orbit this year. The stainless-steel vehicles are powered by SpaceX’s next-gen Raptor engine and will be the most powerful rocket ever to fly, with about 2.5 times more thrust at liftoff than NASA’s iconic Saturn V. SpaceX is developing Starship to transport people and cargo to the Moon and Mars and perform various spaceflight tasks.
SpaceX Starship’s First-Ever Orbital Test Flight May Take Place in April, Confirms Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, revealed on Twitter that the Starship vehicle could launch on its first-ever orbital test flight by the end of April 2023. However, the launch’s timing is dependent on obtaining a license from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Musk stated that assuming the license approval takes a few weeks, the first launch attempt would take place near the end of the third week of April. Musk also acknowledged that there was only a 50% chance of the Starship vehicle passing the first-ever orbital mission.
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, composed of a giant first-stage booster called Super Heavy and a 50-meter upper-stage spacecraft called Starship, is designed to be fully reusable, and both are powered by SpaceX’s next-gen Raptor engine, 33 for Super Heavy and six for Starship. The stainless-steel vehicles are being built at the South Texas site, and multiple Starship vehicles will be launched in quick succession over the coming months.
SpaceX is developing Starship to transport people and cargo to the Moon and Mars, and perform various spaceflight tasks. The giant, stainless-steel vehicle will be the most powerful rocket ever to fly, with about 2.5 times more thrust at liftoff than NASA’s iconic Saturn V, as reported by Space.com. Musk stated in an interview at the Morgan Stanley Conference that it would take a couple of years to achieve full and rapid reusability.
Although the first launch is highly anticipated, it is dependent on FAA approval, as SpaceX was proposed a fine of $175,000 for failure to provide launch data. The company is optimistic about the project’s success, with Musk stating that there is an 80% chance of one of the multiple Starship vehicles reaching orbit this year.
In summary, SpaceX’s Starship vehicle may have its first-ever orbital test flight by the end of April, pending approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The giant, stainless-steel vehicle is designed to be fully reusable and is powered by SpaceX’s next-gen Raptor engine. Although there is only a 50% chance of the first-ever orbital mission being successful, SpaceX is building multiple Starship vehicles, with a high probability of at least one reaching orbit this year.
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