SpaceX is gearing up for its trip to Mars. The company’s ultimate goal is to send a human to the red planet, and this week it will be taking a step closer to making that dream become a reality. As per reports, SpaceX has plans of testing its ‘Starship’ rocket very soon.
The Starship is a futuristic concept by SpaceX. According to Elon Musk, it will carry a hundred persons aboard for an interplanetary flight. Once it has been completed, Starship will be among the biggest rockets that have ever been built and shall be the first spacecraft capable of bringing humans to another planet.
Starship is, however, in its early stages and must be tested quite extensively before it is allowed to take anyone anywhere. SpaceX has been ready since January 2019 to conduct these tests. One of these tests included a prototype Starship lifting off from a pad in Texas. The prototype was slated to traverse several miles into the atmosphere. During this test, the engines and the heat shield, and everything else was supposed to be tested and made sure that it was up to the mark.
The test was slated for January, however; the prototype was knocked over the launchpad thanks to a strong gust of wind. The unfortunate accident caused damage to the rocket, and it was undergoing repairs up till now. A recent notice that was sent to the residents living near the launchpad stated that the repairs had been completed and SpaceX is getting ready to launch the rocket as soon as possible.
According to Space X, the Starship will finish its testing and move to commercial operations by 2023. SpaceX already has a customer for an around-the-moon flight the very moment the rocket becomes ready to hop. But given the complexity of the rocket, it is a given that we might be seeing more delays in the schedule that has been defined for Starship.