The prototype of the Starship interplanetary spacecraft will be launched into low Earth orbit this year, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk announced at a special presentation. According to the project, the Starship reusable spacecraft is designed for flights to the Moon and Mars. Elon Musk expects the ship to be able to land humans on Mars in 2026.
“I am more than confident that we will be able to get to orbit this year,” he said, although he did not name the exact date. Last November, the businessman spoke about the possibility of orbital tests of the ship as early as February 2022.
Starship uses a super-heavy launch vehicle Super Heavy for acceleration. The prototypes of the system went through several stages of testing. In May 2021, the ship successfully climbed to a height of 10 km.
The entrepreneur acknowledged that SpaceX encountered difficulties in developing engines for Super Heavy, but assured that the company was close to solving them.
Both elements are designed to be reusable, which will reduce the cost of launches. “In two or three years, I think the entire flight will cost less than $10 million, and this is for 100 tons of cargo into a useful orbit,” says the head of SpaceX.
Musk also announced that the company has planned 50 missile launches this year, about one per week. In total, SpaceX has already completed 144 successful launches.
Read about how SpaceX and other companies are exploring space in the material “Kommersant” “Space went from hand to hand.”