Starship will go into orbit this year – confident Elon Musk: Elon Musk is “confident” that the Starship rocket will reach Earth’s orbit this year 2022. Despite the technical and policy hurdles, the technology entrepreneur is optimistic about the future of rockets built to target the moon and Mars.
The SpaceX chief recently spoke to reporters about the Starship project at Starbucks, located in Boca Chika, Texas. Nine months after the success of the launch and landing of the prototype Starship rocket, Musk opened his mouth to the media. In his previous four attempts, prototype rockets crashed during landing.
In a conversation with reporters, Musk acknowledged the complexity of building the “Raptor 2” engine for the “Super Heavy Rocket”. These rockets have been designed with reusable use in mind. These rockets are supposed to take the starship spacecraft into orbit. The heat from the engine melted the inside of the rocket thruster, Musk said.
However, “we are close to a solution” he also claimed that. By increasing production capacity by March, Musk expects to build seven to eight engines per week. By the end of the year, he hopes to have built a starship and a booster every month.
“Right now, I’m very confident we’ll be in orbit this year (via Starship),” Elon Musk said.
Elon Musk
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Reuters called Musk’s confidence “ambitious”. However, this goal is not impossible, even if it is ambitious. Although the Super Heavy/Starship duo is still in the testing phase, Musk has had great success with the Falcon 9 rocket. The rockets have been successfully launched 144 times, and the number of successful landings is 106.
However, SpaceX is awaiting the green signal from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The government agency is assessing the impact of the construction plant and launchpad located at Boca Chica on the surrounding environment.
Reuters reports that the FAA will announce in the next few weeks whether SpaceX’s activities are having an adverse effect on the surrounding environment and biodiversity. The future of SpaceX depends on the FAA report.
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Asked by reporters how much Musk was aware of the FAA investigation, the SpaceX chief said: “We do not know the details of the current situation with the FAA.” However, we have received indications that we may receive approval in March. That’s all we know. “
Elon Musk said the entire Starship project would be moved to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida if the launchpad was not approved due to environmental risks at Boca Chica. However, in this case, the whole project will be delayed by six to eight months, he said.
Whatever the situation, SpaceX is adamant about sending its first privately-owned mission to the moon in 2023, according to Reuters. The news agency says that the starship will return to Earth by circling the moon with a dozen artists, including Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa.
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