The Starship, SpaceX’s most ambitious rocket to date, is about to launch more test flights.
The company’s successful first test flight for the rocket, which sent the “SN5” prototype 150 meters into the air, has discussed where the company plans to go next. On Saturday, CEO Elon Musk claimed on his Twitter page that the company now has plans to host more flights – perhaps more than one a day.
In response to a question of Tim Dodd, host of YouTube channel “Everyday Astronaut”, commenting on the following steps for “SN5”, Musk responded:
“Not sure yet, but hopefully. Will need leg and other repairs. Probably flying SN6 for SN5. We need to make flights simple and easy – a lot per day.”
Musk also responded to an image demonstrating the impressive size of the prototype. Musk wrote:
“It will look crazy long with booster & fairing at 122m / 394 ft”
The reaction sheds more light on what SpaceX plans for its ambitious rocket project. The Starship was first unveiled in September 2017 under the name “BFR,” a fully reusable ship that can carry a maximum of 100 people or 150 tons in space at a time. The ship is designed to send satellites and other cargo into space, replacing the Falcon 9 currently in use, and also enabling astronauts to travel to the moon, Mars and beyond, thanks to a “planet-hopping” network of gas stations.
Musk’s latest remarks come after he previously stated that the company plans to host several jumps with the starship prototype to smooth the flight process. Last week, he claimed that the goal would be to host several short “hop” launches, before transitioning to higher-altitude launches that use body flaps.
The company first flew a smaller version of the Starship back in August 2019. The smaller ship, called the “Starhopper,” flew to the same 150-foot altitude with a single Raptor engine. The ship measured only 18 meters (60 feet) long, but sported the same diameter of nine meters (30 feet) as the planned final ship. The following month, Musk unveiled a full-size prototype of the ship named “Mk.1” with a height of 50 meters (164 feet).
The ship that flew last week lacks many of the cosmetic features that will be found on the final ship, such as a nosecone containing the cargo area. It also contained only one Raptor engine, placed asymmetrically because the “SN5” was originally set to use three engines. The final ship is expected to use six engines.
However, it gave fans a good idea of the bare scale of the final ship. An image split Twitter by “RGVAerialPhotography” shows the prototype compared to small people on the floor:
Musk noted that the ship would measure a whopping 122 meters, or 394 feet, when combined with the Super Heavy booster. This is expected to use a maximum of 37 engines to help the ship leave Earth. Musk laid out that two of the meters come from fixed legs on the booster, which add extra height.
Musk has set himself the ambitious timeline to get the first Freight Starships to Mars by 2022, followed by the first humans as early as 2024.
De Inverse analysis – Musk’s comments reveal what we can expect for the next stages of the Starship project, as it continues to work after hosting its first full-scale flight. The ship is designed with full reusability in mind, and Musk has previously suggested that one Starship could fly 1000 times a year. With that in mind, it is perhaps not much of a surprise that the hop tests focus on fast flights that can help gather as much data as possible.
Beyond sending humans to Mars, it is these rapid flights that can help Starship make a massive impact on the spaceflight sector.
