News & Events
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Set To Fly Biggest Rocket Ever
The vehicle, known as Starship, has been built by the American entrepreneur Elon Musk‘s SpaceX company. It stands almost 120m (400ft) high and is designed to have almost double the thrust of any rocket in history. Monday’s uncrewed demonstration will lift off from Boca Chica in Texas. The aim is to send the upper-stage of […]
The vehicle, known as Starship, has been built by the American entrepreneur Elon Musk‘s SpaceX company.
It stands almost 120m (400ft) high and is designed to have almost double the thrust of any rocket in history.
Monday’s uncrewed demonstration will lift off from Boca Chica in Texas. The aim is to send the upper-stage of the vehicle eastward, to complete almost one circuit of the globe.
READ ALSO: Elon Musk Announces Final Date For Removal Of Free Twitter Verification
Mr Musk has appealed for everyone to temper their expectations. It’s not uncommon for a rocket to experience some kind of failure on its initial outing.
“It’s the first launch of a very complicated, gigantic rocket, so it might not launch. We’re going to be very careful, and if we see anything that gives us concern, we will postpone the launch,” he told a Twitter Spaces event.
“If we do launch, I would consider anything that does not result in the destruction of the launch pad itself to be a win.”
SpaceX will try to get Starship airborne at 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT; 14:00 BST).
It’s anticipated thousands of spectators will try to reach coastal locations on the Gulf of Mexico to witness the event.
Elon Musk is hoping to completely upend the rocket business with Starship.
It’s designed to be fully and rapidly reusable. He envisages flying people and satellites to orbit multiple times a day in the same way a jet airliner might criss-cross the Atlantic.
Indeed, he believes the vehicle could usher in an era of interplanetary travel for ordinary humans.
The top segment of Starship has been tested previously on short hops, but this will be the first time it will go up with its lower-stage.
READ ALSO: Update: Mass Shooting, Four Dead At 16th Birthday Party Held In Alabama
This mammoth booster, called simply Super Heavy, was fired while clamped to its launch mount in February. However, the engines on that occasion were throttled back to half their capability.
If, as promised, SpaceX goes for 90% thrust on Monday, the stage should deliver something close to 70 meganewtons. This is equivalent to the force needed to propel almost 100 Concorde supersonic airliners at takeoff.
Trending video of the day;
Photo Credit: Getty