Elon Musk Expects First SpaceX Starship Orbital Flight To Launch By May
Elon Musk said Monday that he expects SpaceX's Starship to take its first orbital flight by May.
Starship is meant to be a fully reusable spacecraft that can carry both crew and cargo to Earth, the Moon, Mars and more at a low operating cost, according to SpaceX’s website.
“We’ll have 39 flightworthy engines built by next month, then another month to integrate, so hopefully May for orbital flight test,” Musk tweeted in response to CNBC Space Reporter, Michael Sheetz.
Sheetz mentioned in his tweet that “U.S. space companies are poised to benefit from Russia cutting itself off from much of the global space industry, with SpaceX 'the clear winner' in the launch market."
Musk said that Russia won’t make any major changes. That incremental demand could take SpaceX’s global launch mass from 65% to 70% but that doesn’t count Starship yet.
Starship is expected to change what is assessable to space. Starship is made up of a super-heavy booster and the actual spacecraft. It’s about 400 feet fall and powered by SpaceX’s Raptor series of engines.
Currently, Starship prototypes have completed high-altitude flights but the spacecraft itself has not made it to space yet. SpaceX has run into some regulatory issues over the past year that have caused delays.
One obstacle that Starship faces is obtaining a license from the Federal Aviation Administration. An FAA regulator is expected to complete a key environmental assessment by March 28, CNBC reported.
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