Elon Musk-owned SpaceX recently did the third test flight of its Starship and is gearing up for the next test. On Saturday, the billionaire outlined the goal of the next mission.
What Happened: In a post on X on Saturday, Musk said, “At 5,000 tons, Starship is the largest flying object ever made.” He noted that the thrust is more than double the Saturn V moon rocket and it is the first spaceship design “capable of making life multiplanetary.”
As Starship readies for its next mission, Musk said, “Goal of the next mission is to make it through the meteorically extreme heat of reentry.”
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Why It’s Important: Starship is a powerful launch vehicle developed by SpaceX capable of carrying up to 100 people on long-duration interplanetary flights. It is also meant for satellite delivery, the development of a Moon base and a point-to-point transport on Earth.
Earlier this month, Starship reached orbital speed for the first time in its third test flight from SpaceX’s manufacturing and test launch facilities near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. SpaceX commentators said that mission control lost communication with Starship from two satellite systems simultaneously while the spacecraft was re-entering the planet’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed.
Ahead of the next Starship flight, SpaceX announced Monday that it fired up all six Raptor engines.
Typically, during prelaunch tests, engines are briefly lit when a vehicle remains anchored to the pad. The fourth flight is likely to occur in early May.
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