The SpaceX company is on the verge of developing the first commercially viable starship. Engineers are working on prototypes in Boca Chica, California, and conducting various tests on vehicles. Already, the company has completed high-altitude flights and is working on a new landing system for the Starship. The firm hopes to launch the vehicle by the end of this year. If the plans are approved, the Starship will be ready for launch in late 2020.
The Japanese entrepreneur has paid $55 million for a flight on the Starship around the moon. He hopes to take a dozen artists on the trip. The company has relied on smaller Falcon rockets for NASA missions, but has now successfully launched private flights to the space station and the International Space Station. The entrepreneur also plans to take a dozen or more artists aboard the Starship. And, SpaceX has a history of short timelines. In September, the company launched its first full-size prototype, called SN15. This test launch is scheduled for May 2021, and it will be ready for testing as early as this year.
Despite these concerns, there is hope. Musk has a track record of setting unrealistic timelines, which may lead to problems, like the recent crashes and explosions of several prototypes. His spacecraft has also received the backing of a Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa. He recently revealed that the company plans to launch dozens of satellites into space by 2022, and he’s hopeful that he can complete that mission by then.
The proposed Moon landing method is a complicated one, and it will require multiple refueling missions. But if the rocket can survive the trials, it could pave the way for the first commercial launch of a starship in the near future. As a matter of fact, the Moon could be landed by 2030 using the Starship in the next few years. But it’s hard to say where the resulting crew will go.
So far, the company has flown test missions without a Super Heavy booster but has yet to launch a full rocket. The rocket’s massive size and complexity could change the economics of space travel. It’s possible that the company will be able to send astronauts to the moon before 2020. In fact, it has already been the first private corporation to launch an astronaut. The SN15 rocket was successfully launched in May 2021.
As a general-purpose transport system, the Starship would be designed to carry both humanitarian and military cargo. The U.S. military’s goal is to colonize Mars in the next century and has allocated $102 million to study the idea. While the initial stages of the development are exciting, the ultimate product is still in the concept stage. It could even be ready by 2022. If the company can get it right, it will be a game changer in space travel.
While Starship is not yet ready to launch its full rocket, it is still expected to launch in 2021. But there are a few obstacles. The project’s timeline is not clear and may take a decade to get to the moon. In the meantime, SpaceX has a contingency plan in place in case the FAA delays the launch. But it would delay development of the Starship by six to eight months. And the company needs to have this done before 2025 to ensure a safe and profitable moon landing by astronauts.
The Starship concept has taken many forms over the past decade. For instance, in Japan, an entrepreneur has paid $55 million for a round-trip flight around the moon and plans to bring 12 artists to the moon. In the United States, SpaceX has also received $102 million from the Air Force for research into its rocket concepts. The rocket was initially expected to be ready to launch in May 2021, but SpaceX had postponed the launch until at least 2022 to address these issues.
SpaceX is still working on the Starship’s design. In 2021, the rocket is expected to have nine engines instead of the current six. Eventually, the spaceship will be capable of carrying 150 tons of cargo and 100 people into space. In addition, the fuel used by the Starship is liquid oxygen and methane. After the flight, the astronauts will land safely on Mars. The rockets will be capable of reaching the moon by the year 2024.