SpaceX Starhopper, Mars-Colonizing Prototype, Aims Biggest Test Flight This Weekend

Elon Musk confirmed that SpaceX’s Starhopper spacecraft will embark on its biggest test flight this weekend. The Starhopper serves as the prototype of Starship, SpaceX’s spacecraft that will ferry colonizers to Mars.

According to Musk, SpaceX is targeting to launch the Starhopper vehicle about 650 feet from the ground. The event is expected to take place sometime during the weekend if everything goes well for the private aerospace company.

Musk made the confirmation via Twitter through a reply to one of his followers. He noted that he recently contacted the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the agency that approves licenses and approvals for launches and test flights. Hopefully, the agency will grant SpaceX the proper approval to proceed with Starhopper’s launch.

Based on Musk’s response, Starhopper’s test flight is expected to take place between Aug. 16 and 18 if the FAA approves it.

The prototype spacecraft made its first successful launch in July. During its test flight, Starhopper hovered about 65 feet from the ground using its onboard guidance system. It was considered as a huge victory by SpaceX especially since Starhopper’s first test flight resulted in flames bursting out of its top portion before lifting off. SpaceX decided to abort the test following the incident, Metro reported.

Assuming that Starhopper will perform perfectly during the upcoming launch and on other future tests, it will pave the way for the operation of SpaceX’s Starship. This vehicle is currently being developed by the company to carry about 100 passengers to Mars. It could be the main spacecraft that will transport the first batch of colonizers to the Red Planet.

If everything goes according to plan, the Starship spacecraft will be launched off from Earth using SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket. For this momentous event, SpaceX plans to equip the Starship with six of the company’s next-generation Raptor engines. Super Heavy, on the other hand, will be propelled by 35 of these engines for the launch.

The first crewed mission of Starship and Super Heavy is expected to take place in 2021. The passenger flights through these two spacecraft will then follow shortly after.