The first stage of SpaceX’s work to go to Mars with the Starship spacecraft could be realized before the end of this year.
SpaceX has been planning to put the Starship spacecraft into orbit since mid-2021. However, the flight could not be realized due to environmental factors and technical failures.
Starship spacecraft prepares for its first orbital flight
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also proposed 75 changes that SpaceX must complete to give SpaceX a launch permit. In this way, the Aviation Administration, which aims to minimize the damage caused by rockets to the environment, is quite clear on this issue.
It is stated that for the FAA to grant SpaceX a launch permit, the company must perform all tests, and these tests must be reviewed by the organization. Accordingly, SpaceX must undergo many tests, including a static fire test of all 33 Raptor engines in the Super Heavy boosters.
Starship’s static tests in July resulted in a fire. The test in August was successful, but only 1 Raptor engine was used in this test. In addition, the rockets must also complete ignition tests without launch.
While things don’t look good for SpaceX, Mark Kirasich, a senior NASA official, said NASA is tracking four major Starship flights, with the first coming in early December. Accordingly, there is only one month left for SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft to go into space.
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft will be launched from the company’s Boca Chica facility in Texas with the Super HEavy rocket as previously planned. After the launch, the boosters will separate from Starship and the spacecraft will take off on a 90-minute orbital flight. The spacecraft is then expected to land in the ocean near Hawaii.
While NASA’s work for the Artemis mission continues, another important development seems to come from SpaceX. So what do you think about SpaceX and the Starship spacecraft? You can share your opinions with us in the comments section.