SpaceX Starship Aims for Orbit in Six Months
Elon Musk reveals new details about SpaceX's Starship, including a planned orbital flight within six months and a potential crewed mission next year.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shares exciting updates about Starship, the company's next-generation spacecraft designed for full and rapid reusability. He explains how the spacecraft will use in-space propellant refilling by docking with tanker Starships already in orbit, a crucial step for carrying up to 100 tons of cargo and 100 passengers to the Moon or Mars.
The current Starship prototypes, including the Mk1 and upcoming Mk3 and Mk4 orbital testers, feature a unique fin design that allows them to re-enter Earth's atmosphere flat on their bellies to increase drag. Before touching down vertically, the spacecraft performs a dramatic flip maneuver that looks incredibly unwieldy but remains fully controlled, similar to but more complex than the current Falcon booster landings.
Musk also unveils the design for the Super Heavy booster, which stands 1.5 times taller than the Starship and powers the journey to orbit with 37 Raptor engines. Testing is moving quickly, with the Starship Mk1 prototype scheduled for a sub-orbital test flight to nearly 70,000 feet in just one to two months, and Musk states that an orbital flight could happen within six months.