SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Says Starship Orbital Stack to Be Ready for Flight in Few Weeks

SpaceX’s Starship rocket It is at the centre of Musk’s ambitions to make human space travel more affordable and routine.

By Reuters | Updated: 16 August 2021 10:02 IST

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Says Starship Orbital Stack to Be Ready for Flight in Few Weeks

Musk has said he intends to fly Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa around the moon in 2023

Highlights

The complete Starship rocket stands 394 feet tall
SN15 touchdown came after four prototype landing attempts exploded
An orbital Starship flight is planned for year's end

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Saturday the first orbital stack of the Starship rocket should be ready for flight in the coming weeks, taking the unorthodox billionaire a step closer to his dream of orbital and then interplanetary travel.

SpaceX in May successfully landed its Starship prototype, SN15, a reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle that could eventually carry astronauts and large cargo payloads to the moon and Mars.

The touchdown came after four prototype landing attempts had ended in explosions.

SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes on Ground After Seemingly Successful Flight

"First orbital stack of Starship should be ready for flight in a few weeks, pending only regulatory approval," Musk tweeted.

First orbital stack of Starship should be ready for flight in a few weeks, pending only regulatory approval
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 15, 2021

The complete Starship rocket, SpaceX's next-generation launch vehicle, stands 394 feet (120m) tall when coupled with its super-heavy first-stage booster.

It is at the centre of the Tesla CEO's ambitions to make human space travel more affordable and routine.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Rocket Prototype Achieves First Safe Landing

An orbital Starship flight is planned for year's end, and Musk has said he intends to fly Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa around the moon in the Starship in 2023.

It's a John Cena double-header this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, as we discuss The Suicide Squad, and later, Fast & Furious 9 (from 28:03). Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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