Taking more steps to further its vision of life in space, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has launched its next-generation rocket called Starship. Introduced in Boca Chica, Texas, the huge prototype spaceship is meant to travel back and forth from the Moon and Mars.
The New Starship
Starship is touted as the spaceship that will be able to go beyond the Earth’s orbit (to destinations such as the Moon and Mars) and come back to Earth (in two months). This will be done within another six months, that is, sometime in next year. Furthermore, the new spaceship is claimed to be ready for carrying humans with ease.
The new spaceship supports three next-gen Raptor engines (165 feet or 50 meters tall) built by the company itself. The rocket has a stainless steel build and, thus, will be able to sustain frigid temperatures and won’t melt until 1500 degrees Centigrade.
Choosing stainless steel over the carbon composite or aluminum material will also lead to cost reductions. It is suggested that while Carbon materials cost around $130,000 a ton, stainless steel will retail at $2,500 per ton.
According to a report by Ars Technica, Musk praised the stainless steel design by stating, “Stainless steel is by far the best design decision we have made.“
It is further suggested that the new prototype weighs 200 tons, which will eventually be reduced to 110 tons to be able to carry loads.
The Starship is expected to carry around 220,000 pounds and extend its height to about 387 feet, thanks to the Super Heavy Booster Stage it will be paired with.
As a reminder, Starship was teased by Musk back in January. It was previously called “BFR.”
A Historic Moment For SpaceX
While unveiling the new Starship to the world, Elon Musk placed it right next to the Falcon 1 rocket, which was the company’s first rocket that took its flight to space. The occasion marked Falcon 1’s anniversary that was launched 11 years ago.
11 years ago today, we launched our first successful mission. To date, we’ve completed 78 launches and have developed the world’s only operational reusable orbital class rockets and spacecraft—capable of launching to space, returning to Earth, and flying again pic.twitter.com/5L0q9PJ90P
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 29, 2019
Musk also said that SpaceX is working on the second prototype of Starship — the Mk 2 — in Cocoa, Florida. And soon, the third installment of Starship will be in works in Texas either this fall or later.
While the new Starship makes us believe that we will soon have a “multi-planetary” life, it requires a lot to live up to its claims made by Elon Musk, that too during a short span.
We will have to wait for the moment. So, stay tuned to Fossbytes for all the updates you need.
Also Read: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Becomes Richer Than Elon Musk’s Tesla
