SpaceX Finishes Assembly of Starship Rocket
January 11, 2019 | Stephen Las Marias, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: Less than a minute
Elon Musk, via Twitter, has announced that SpaceX has finished assembly of its Starship test flight rocket. He said that the rocket is for suborbital vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) tests, and that the "orbital version is taller, has thicker skins, and a smoothly curving nose section." The photo he posted on Twitter included a spacesuit-clad person to show scale.
According to Musk, the first orbital prototype should be done "around June".
SpaceX's Starship (ship) and Super Heavy Rocket (booster) represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to service all Earth orbit needs as well as the Moon and Mars. This two-stage vehicle will eventually replace Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon. By creating a single system that can service a variety of markets, SpaceX can redirect resources from Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon to Starship—which is fundamental in making the system affordable.
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