SpaceX's Starship will launch again in '6 to 8 weeks'
We can soon expect SpaceX's Starship, the world's most powerful rocket, to lift-off again. In a tweet, the company's CEO Elon Musk said Starship could launch in another six to eight weeks. The fully stacked Starship system launched for the first time on April 20. While that maiden test flight did record a few milestones, the rocket also encountered serious issues.
Why does this story matter?
The interest in Starship has been huge right from the start. It can ferry payloads to longer distances and at a "lower marginal cost per launch" compared to the existing Falcon rockets, per SpaceX. It took quite some time for the company to send the mega-rocket on its much-awaited first test flight. Musk's recent announcement now gives us something to look forward to.
Starship is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built
At 395-foot-tall, Starship is the tallest-ever rocket. It comprises two elements: a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft which is also called Starship. Both the booster and spacecraft are designed to be fully reusable, which means the main hardware components will not be disposed of. Instead, they will be returned to Earth and will fly again on future missions.
Starship damaged the launch site during the April test flight
Ahead of the second launch, there are several things SpaceX has to deal with. For one, during the April launch, Starship left behind a huge crater beneath the launch pad, sending out large amounts of dust and debris. The company has been working on a water-cooled steel plate that will lie underneath the launch mount to prevent the issue from happening again.
SpaceX may also encounter regulatory issues before the second launch
SpaceX may also encounter regulatory issues before Starship's second launch. A few environmental groups are suing the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which granted Starship's launch license. The agency is facing charges of not carrying out proper assessments of the possible damage Starship could cause to the surrounding ecosystem around South Texas, and the settlements around Starbase, which is the company's launch facility.
Starship's first test launch resulted in an explosion
On its first test flight in April, Starship experienced what's called a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" right before stage separation could occur. SpaceX then sent a self-destruct command a few minutes after launch and the rocket exploded.
Starship will support NASA's Artemis 3 mission
Starship has been roped in by NASA as the first crewed lander for its Artemis lunar missions. The rocket will fly NASA astronauts—as part of the Artemis 3 mission—to the Moon in 2025 if everything goes according to schedule. Starship will also support the 'dearMoon mission' which will take Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and other artists on a week-long trip around the Moon.
