Alex Bruno
As it strives to fulfill the environmental impact standards established this week by the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX is nearing the next significant milestone in the construction of its Starship rocket. Elon Musk said on Tuesday that a Starship prototype rocket would be “ready to fly” by July, with his space business seeking to reach orbit for the first time with the vehicle.
The Starship orbital flight test was supposed to take place as early as last summer, but SpaceX’s expectations were continually pushed back by regulatory permission and delays in development. The FAA issued a critical environmental judgment on Monday, bringing the program’s long-awaited evaluation to a close. Before filing for the launch license necessary for the flight test, SpaceX must complete more than 75 of the agency’s activities.
Musk stated in a series of tweets that he spent Monday evening “reviewing work” on the rocket at the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas. He went on to say that the business “will have a second Starship stack ready to fly in August” and that flights would be conducted “weekly afterward.”
The company is working on a roughly 400-foot-tall reusable Starship rocket that will be capable of transporting freight and passengers beyond Earth. SpaceX’s Raptor family of engines power the rocket and its Super Heavy booster. SpaceX’s Starship prototypes have passed many high-altitude flight tests, but they have yet to reach space.
Source: CNBC
