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This Is Our Future Ride to Mars: SpaceX Starship Mk1

At the end of last week Elon Musk’s space faring company SpaceX pulled the wraps off the initial iteration of the Starship. This next-generation spaceship is supposed to be the one that will take humans to the Moon and, for the first time in history, to Mars.
Rendering of Starship taking off from the Moon 6 photos
Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX Starship Mk1SpaceX Starship Mk1SpaceX Starship Mk1SpaceX Starship Mk1SpaceX Starship Mk1
Elon Musk unveiled the prototype of the ship at the company’s site in Boca Chica, Texas on Saturday, September 28. To make sure everyone understands the size of the thing, it was placed right next to the now ancient Falcon 1 rocket.

This particular Starship, called Mk1, stands 50 meters (164 feet) tall and is 9 meters (29 feet) in diameter. At its base there are a total of 37 engines that are supposed to make it “the most powerful rocket in history.”

“This is the most inspiring thing that I’ve ever seen,” Elon Musk said at the moment of the unveiling. “Becoming a spacefaring civilization, being out there among the stars, this is one of the things that makes me glad to be alive.”

As most other SpaceX products, the Starship will be reusable, meaning it can be flown and landed multiple times before being decommissioned. It will have the ability to be fueled and loaded in space, and it will eventually be capable of transporting 100 people all the way to Mars.

The Mk1 will begin testing probably by the end of the year. The first test will consist of a flight to an altitude of 20 km ( 65,000 feet) and then a safe return to a landing pad.

Should everything go according to plan, the Starship Mk2 will be developed and probably be flown to orbit. Within a few years, we should get to see better iterations of the Starship fly all the way to the Moon and Mars with people on board.

You can watch (or rewatch) the unveiling of the Starship in the video below.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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