The first launch of SpaceX’s Starship interplanetary spacecraft into orbit may take place as early as January 2022, said the head of the aerospace company Elon Musk. Earlier it was planned to launch the rocket into orbit in November, but this month SpaceX intends only to finish work on the launch pad and launch tower.
“We will conduct some tests in December and hopefully launch [Starship] in January, ”Musk said during an online presentation at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences of Engineering and the Council for Space Research Medicine.
The entrepreneur added that he is not sure if Starship will be able to successfully enter orbit on the first try. At the same time, he expressed confidence that the rocket, in any case, will go into space in 2022.
SpaceX has conducted several test launches of prototypes of the device within the earth’s atmosphere over the past year, but the tests were crowned with success only in May. Then the SN15 prototype climbed to an altitude of about 10 km, and then landed on the launch pad.
The reusable rocket system, consisting of the Ship 20 spacecraft and the Super Heavy carrier, reaches almost 120 meters in height. This is the tallest rocket in history. It is planned to be used to deliver cargo to Mars and the Moon and return to Earth. The ship is designed for 100 passengers and is capable of delivering a payload weighing more than 100 tons into low-earth orbit.
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