Starship is very important for SpaceX
Starship’s first test flight ended on April 20 with a manually triggered explosion at high altitude. Still, this test allowed SpaceX to collect a lot of data and make many improvements. Now the private space company is on the verge of launching the world’s most powerful rocket again, and Musk made statements about the future of Starship in his opening speech at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Baku on October 5.
In his opening speech, Musk also touched upon some changes SpaceX made to Starship. He said it would be the first time SpaceX would attempt a hot staging separation, adding that it would be “the riskiest part of the flight.” Musk also announced that the rocket produces approximately twice the thrust of the Saturn V rocket used for NASA’s Apollo program. 20 million lbs of thrust will be reached after SpaceX’s future engine upgrades, providing approximately three times more thrust.
Starship’s journey to Mars
So when will Starship finally land on Mars? Musk said SpaceX is aiming for an uncrewed Mars mission that will land on the Martian surface “within the next four years.” However, it must be said that this history is extremely ambitious. SpaceX has never made it beyond orbit, and the journey to Mars is quite challenging. Musk said Starship should eventually “be able to land anywhere on a solid surface in the solar system.” If the ultimate goal of the Starship program is realized, humanity will finally have become a multi-planetary species.