Elon Musk to attempt SpaceX's Starship launch in March. Details here
1 min read . Updated: 05 Feb 2023, 06:13 AM IST
PremiumElon Musk had in January said that there was a ‘real shot’ at launching Starship in late February, adding that a March launch attempt appears highly likely.
Elon Musk on Saturday said that SpaceX may attempt a Starship rocket system launch next month, its billionaire chief Elon Musk said in a tweet on Saturday.
While replying to a user's tweet on Starship, he said, "If remaining tests go well, we will attempt a Starship launch next month."
Musk had in January said that there was a "real shot" at launching Starship in late February, adding that a March launch attempt appears highly likely.
SpaceX, since last year, has been looking to launch its giant Starship into orbit for the first time, a pivotal demonstration flight as it aims to fly NASA astronauts to the moon.
Starship will be the largest spacecraft capable of carrying humans from Earth to destinations in space (the International Space Station is larger, but it was assembled in space).
It will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever to fly, capable of lifting 100 tonnes of cargo to low Earth orbit.
Starship is the collective name for a two-component system consisting of the Starship spacecraft (which carries the crew and cargo) and the Super Heavy rocket. The rocket component will lift Starship to some 65km altitude before separating and returning to Earth in a controlled landing.
The upper Starship component will then use its own engines to push itself the rest of the way to orbit.
Several short test flights of the Starship portion of the system have been made with varying degrees of success. But the upcoming flight will be the first time the whole system will be used to reach space as one.
This first orbital flight was originally scheduled to launch in September 2022, but has been delayed several times.
(With inputs from agencies)
