SpaceX completes preparations for Starship orbital test flight from Texas

BOCA CHICA, Texas – SpaceX is getting close to sending its huge spacecraft into space for the first time.

SpaceX’s reusable Starship has been selected by NASA as the human landing system for Artemis programwhich will return astronauts to the Moon by 2025. However, there is still a lot of work to be done before Starship goes to the Moon with astronauts on board.

Testing and work on the nearly 400-foot-tall spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket booster continues at the SpaceX facility known as Starbase to the south. Texas shore.

After a series of high-altitude tests and attempted landings of Starship prototypes, Elon Musk’s company plans to conduct an orbital test flight as early as February or March.

This week, SpaceX completed several stages in an attempt to move on to this test flight.

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The company said it had completed Starship’s first wet flight-like dress rehearsal, which involved loading the Starship and booster with more than 10 million pounds of propellant.

“Today’s test will help test the full launch countdown sequence, as well as Starship and orbital pad performance for flight-like operations,” SpaceX tweeted Jan. 23.

SpaceX said Starship 24 was separated from Booster 7 in preparation for a static launch of the booster’s 33 Raptor engines.

When SpaceX fires up all 33 Raptor engines, they will blow up the Texas coast. Prior to such testing, Cameron County, Texas officials will announce the temporary closure of part of Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach. Residents of the small coastal community of Boca Chica will also be notified.

Musk said during February 2022 conversation he believed that Starship would reach orbit by the end of 2022. Nearly a year later, SpaceX appears to be getting closer to that goal.

SpaceX has yet to announce a target date for the orbital test flight of Starship and Super Heavy.

Eventually, Starship will replace SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and SpaceX. Falcon Heavy rockets. The space system was designed for deep space exploration. moon and Mars. The spacecraft and booster are reusable and can carry out multiple missions capable of delivering 100 metric tons to Earth orbit.

Who will be the first to launch Starship?

The Starship will eventually launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A massive new launch tower at the KSC 39A launch pad is being built in preparation for the Starship and Super Heavy launches.

In addition to NASA Artemis’ moon landing contract, SpaceX is on the hook for at least three private Starship spaceflights.

Private astronauts participate in the Polaris program of businessman Jared Isaacman. should be the first passengers aboard Starship. The names of the crew members have not yet been released. As part of the Polaris Dawn missionIsaacman prepares for his second spaceflight on the SpaceX Crew Dragon with Scott “Kid” Potit and two SpaceX employees, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa also bought a ride on a SpaceX spacecraft to orbit the moon. for myself and eight others.

Husband and wife Dennis and Akiko Tito will be among the 12 passengers on a separate SpaceX Starship flight around the moon.

It’s unclear where the second and third private Starship flights coincide with NASA’s 2025 Artemis moon landing schedule.

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