Starship is expected to reach into orbit and way beyond, says Elon Musk

Starship is expected to reach into orbit and way beyond, says Elon Musk
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Elon Musk continues to find ways of exploring space, hoping that one day the dream of Mars being colonized by humans will become true. And he’s not the only one with such grand ambitions, since he’s got a big team of scientists by his side who are fighting for the same major goal. But such outstanding astronomical projects are demanding some “baby steps”.

Starship was introduced in 2017 by SpaceX, the company where Elon Musk is CEO. The spaceship seemed right away to have a bright future, being designed for full, “rapid reusability.”

Starship can get humans to Mars

Elon Musk launched the highly-expected and overwhelming idea that the spaceship is able to carry people to Mars and the supplies needed for building bases there. He adds that Starship will be using in-space refilling of propellant, by docking with tanker Starships already in orbit to transfer fuel. This is necessary for the spacecraft to get enough propellant onboard post-launch to make the trip to the Moon or Mars from Earth.

New and efficient propeller

Super Heavy is the name of the booster that will be used to propel Starship to orbit. Musk also presented it, describing that this liquid-oxygen powered rocket, which is even heavier than Starship itself, will have 37 Raptor engines on board (the Starship will have only six) and will also feature six landing legs and deployable grid fins for its own return trip back to Earth.

Starship is getting into testing soon

The Starship Mk1 that Elon Musk presented the plan in front of at Boca Chica should have its first test flight in maximum two months, when it will reach an altitude of under 70.000 feet. Starship Mk2 will also be launched soon, while the remaining Mk3 and Mk4 will be under construction next month in Boca Chica and Cape Canaveral, respectively.

Going into orbit will be the first “baby step”

If everything works as planned during the sub-orbital testing, taking Mk1 and Mk3 into orbit with the full Super Heavy booster will be the next goal. Of course, Starship has been built for much more than just reaching into orbit.

The ultimate goal of going to Mars seems more close than before. We would have to travel a much longer distance than the one we covered for going to the Moon. The average distance between Earth and Mars is “only” 225 million km, while the Moon comes as close to the Earth as 363,104 kilometers. Let’s just hope the Martians will receive us well, if by any chance there are any.


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I am a pop culture and social media expert. Aside from writing about the latest news health, I also enjoy pop culture and Yoga. I have BA in American Cultural Studies and currently enrolled in a Mass-Media MA program. I like to spend my spring breaks volunteering overseas.

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