With FAA approval in order, it’s only a matter of time before SpaceX attempts its next big milestone.
Following the long-awaited approval (with minor changes) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX , under the command of Elon Musk , is preparing for its next big challenge: the orbital flight of Starship .
Musk himself has indicated that they will seek to correct the small details after the FAA environmental assessment and will try to fly very soon: in July.
” Starship will be ready to fly next month,” Musk said on Twitter. “Last night I was late at High Bay and Mega Bay checking on progress. We’ll have a second Starship ready to fly in August, and a new one every month thereafter.”
When’s the orbital flight is happening @elonmusk ?
Is July possible ? pic.twitter.com/qnO4UmmX3q— 💫Sirine💫🦊🇺🇦 (@SirineAti) June 14, 2022
Everything is getting ready
Elon Musk has been sharing photos of what the Starship lineup will be, now with the SN24 prototype being covered in the heat shield.
Likewise, a few days ago he also shared an image of the Raptor engines that the Super Heavy propellant will have with which he will send the capsule into space.
But, before the flight, you have to correct 75 measures determined by the FAA. Can you do it in a single month?
the orbital flight
With the approval, SpaceX will now be able to launch the test of its Starship in Earth orbit.
The capsule , docked on the Super Heavy booster, will take off from the US Starbase .
After leaving Earth’s atmosphere, the booster will separate and return to its launch tower, being caught by the arms of the launch tower.
Musk said the booster will spend six minutes in the air in total, two on the ascent and four on its return trip. In the future, the system could be reused every six to eight hours for three launches a day.
In the meantime, the Starship capsule will continue to fly in Earth orbit, attempting to make a complete revolution before landing in Hawaii. Likewise, the SpaceX animation not only shows it on Earth, but also on Mars, with a look at future human colonies on said planet.