Elon Musk Reveals Plans To Launch SpaceX ‘Starship’ Test Flight

By
Natalia Kay
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that they will launch a rocket more than nine miles into the sky on Wednesday, according to The Daily Wire.

Starship SN8, a 165-foot tall stainless steel vessel is one of a series of prototypes built with intentions of creating an interplanetary transportation system.

Musk said he was aiming for around 50,000 ft.

“Goals are to test 3 engine ascent, body flaps, transition from main to header tanks & landing flip.”

Musk said there’s a “1/3 chance” that the vessel will land in one piece.

“But that’s why we have SN 9 & SN10.”

More from The Daily Wire:

CNBC provides some more details:

Those later prototypes are already in progress at SpaceX’s growing facility in Boca Chica, Texas. While SpaceX’s fleet of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are partially reusable, Musk’s goal is to make Starship fully reusable – envisioning a rocket that is more akin to a commercial airplane, with short turnaround times between flights where the only major cost is fuel.

Musk said that SN9 and SN10 feature “many small improvements,” with “major upgrades” planned once SpaceX begins work on prototype SN15.

After SpaceX in May launched a pair of NASA astronauts in its first crewed mission, Musk pivoted the company’s attention, declaring that the top SpaceX priority is now development of Starship. Musk said in an email obtained by CNBC that Starship’s program must accelerate “dramatically and immediately.”

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