Photo: SpaceX via Twitter
On August 2nd, SpaceX and its founder Elon Musk released a new set of images that show Starship, its reusable deep-space transportation system, getting assembled. While the company's July plans look like they have been delayed, SpaceX is getting ready to launch the first orbital flight of its Mars rocket.
We've seen dozens of headlines about the recent billionaire space race held between Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson and Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos. And while that took place near Earth, about 50 to 62 miles high (80-100 km), Musk has bigger plans in store: Mars.
To that end, he's investing a lot of money and resources in the Starship program, which aims to develop a reusable and interplanetary launch vehicle capable of transporting cargo and people to the Red Planet. The spacecraft's final version is expected to be taller than the Statue of Liberty (about 120 meters/394 feet long, with booster).
To power up this massive beast, SpaceX designed some powerful engines called Raptors. The company has recently released a few images which show 29 Raptor engines getting installed on the Starship's giant first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, ahead of its first orbital flight.
If you think that's a lot, Musk actually plans to add three or four more engines and increase the base Raptor thrust in the future. Starship's upper stage, a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) spacecraft also called Starship, will be powered by six Raptors as well. After all, you need that kind of power if you're trying to go for Mars.
Initially, the first orbital test flight for Starship was supposed to take place in July, as SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell announced a while back. However, it became pretty clear that it failed to reach the expectations.
Until now, the company has flown Starship prototypes that featured only 3 Raptor engines. The next flight would be the company's first flight of a fully stacked Starship. SpaceX has already posted its flight profile for the mission in a Federal Communications Commission document back in May.
Starship will be launched atop the Super Heavy booster from the company's South Texas launch site before the booster separates and splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico 170 seconds after takeoff. The Starship spacecraft will continue to fly until it reaches orbit, after which it will plunge back into the Earth's atmosphere and splashdown off the northwest coast of Kauai.
For the time being, we'll just have to wait and see when the flight will take place. According to CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still determining if the Super Heavy booster can launch from Texas and not pose a threat to the surrounding environment due to its massive force.
To that end, he's investing a lot of money and resources in the Starship program, which aims to develop a reusable and interplanetary launch vehicle capable of transporting cargo and people to the Red Planet. The spacecraft's final version is expected to be taller than the Statue of Liberty (about 120 meters/394 feet long, with booster).
To power up this massive beast, SpaceX designed some powerful engines called Raptors. The company has recently released a few images which show 29 Raptor engines getting installed on the Starship's giant first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, ahead of its first orbital flight.
If you think that's a lot, Musk actually plans to add three or four more engines and increase the base Raptor thrust in the future. Starship's upper stage, a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) spacecraft also called Starship, will be powered by six Raptors as well. After all, you need that kind of power if you're trying to go for Mars.
Initially, the first orbital test flight for Starship was supposed to take place in July, as SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell announced a while back. However, it became pretty clear that it failed to reach the expectations.
Until now, the company has flown Starship prototypes that featured only 3 Raptor engines. The next flight would be the company's first flight of a fully stacked Starship. SpaceX has already posted its flight profile for the mission in a Federal Communications Commission document back in May.
Starship will be launched atop the Super Heavy booster from the company's South Texas launch site before the booster separates and splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico 170 seconds after takeoff. The Starship spacecraft will continue to fly until it reaches orbit, after which it will plunge back into the Earth's atmosphere and splashdown off the northwest coast of Kauai.
For the time being, we'll just have to wait and see when the flight will take place. According to CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still determining if the Super Heavy booster can launch from Texas and not pose a threat to the surrounding environment due to its massive force.
29 Raptor engines and 4 grid fins have been installed on Super Heavy ahead of first orbital flight pic.twitter.com/XHkCZ9VYK4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2021
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