After Explosion, SpaceX Still Hoping to Launch Starship This Year – Futurism

Ambitious Goals

Despite a massive explosion that obliterated the fourth prototype of its Starship spacecraft, SpaceX is still planning on an orbital test launch of the vehicle before the end of the year.

Starship a different project than SpaceXs Crew Dragon, which successfully launched with two astronauts on board over the weekend is meant to eventually ferry up to 100 passengers as far as the Moon, and even Mars.

I expect first test flights, lets say, to a height of 150 meters, in the coming weeks, Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceXs VP of Build and Flight Reliability, told German magazine Der Spiegel in a Tuesday interview. Were going to be doing that a couple of times.

If everything works, we want to go into Earth orbit at the end of the year, Koenigsmann added. It might take a little longer.

The news comes after Starships fourth prototype, SN4, exploded last Friday at the companys testing site in Boca Chica, Texas.

Unfortunately what we thought was going to be a minor test of a quick disconnect ended up being a big problem, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told the press.

Its a setback, but SN4 endured far more trials than its predecessors. Its also the first Starship prototype to endure a cryogenic pressure test, which caused older prototypes to crumple like tin cans.

A scaled-down Starship prototype, called Starhopper, has also already completed a test flight to 150 meters last summer.

READ MORE: SpaceXs orbital Starship launch debut could still happen this year [Teslarati]

More on Starship: BREAKING: SPACEXS STARSHIP PROTOTYPE BLOWS UP IN HUGE FIREBALL

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After Explosion, SpaceX Still Hoping to Launch Starship This Year - Futurism