{"id":12286,"date":"2020-08-05T19:40:42","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T11:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-clears-big-hurdle-on-next-gen-starship-rocket-program\/"},"modified":"2020-08-05T19:40:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T11:40:42","slug":"spacex-clears-big-hurdle-on-next-gen-starship-rocket-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-clears-big-hurdle-on-next-gen-starship-rocket-program\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX clears big hurdle on next-gen Starship rocket program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credit: Video frame from live stream by @SpacePadreIsle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A prototype rocket for a massive reusable vehicle SpaceX is designing to fly people to the moon and Mars took off from a launching stand in South Texas on Tuesday, flew to a height of roughly 500 feet, then made a controlled descent to a nearby landing pad.<\/p>\n

The 500-foot (150-meter) \u201chop\u201d test was the first of a Starship rocket with full-size propellant tanks, and it sets the stage for a series of progressively higher atmospheric demonstration flights with future vehicles. Eventually, SpaceX aims to shoot the Starship into orbit on top of an even taller booster rocket named the \u201cSuper Heavy\u201d to deliver to space huge cargo loads, satellites, telescopes, and science probes.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s longer-term roadmap includes an in-orbit refueling capability to make trips to the moon possible. NASA selected SpaceX\u2019s Starship vehicle as one of three contenders \u2014 alongside Blue Origin and Dynetics \u2014 for a human-rated lunar lander the space agency will fund for crewed moon missions later this decade.<\/p>\n

And the Starship is central to the vision of Elon Musk, SpaceX\u2019s billionaire founder, who established the company with a mission of sending people to Mars. Future Starships could cruise to Mars with up to 100 people, Musk says.<\/p>\n

\u201cMars is looking real,\u201d Musk tweeted after Tuesday\u2019s test flight. \u201cProgress is accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mission took a step closer to reality with Tuesday\u2019s test flight, which was intended to test out the Starship\u2019s guidance system, the structural strength of its stainless steel tanks, and a number of other basic functions before attempting launches to higher altitudes.<\/p>\n

The Starship test flight Tuesday capped a busy few days for SpaceX. The company\u2019s first human-rated Crew Dragon spaceship returned to Earth Sunday with a smooth splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing home NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken after a 64-day test flight to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

SpaceX followed that up with an attempt to fly the Starship Monday evening in South Texas, but the company aborted the flight just before takeoff. Another countdown Tuesday afternoon was likewise aborted before SpaceX pressed ahead with a successful flight Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n

One of SpaceX\u2019s Raptor engines, fed by methane and liquid oxygen, powered the Starship off its launch platform at 7:57 p.m. EDT (6:57 p.m. CDT; 2357 GMT) Tuesday. The throttleable Raptor engine produces up to 440,000 pounds of thrust at full power, according to SpaceX, and it\u2019s the most powerful methane-fueled rocket engine ever flown.<\/p>\n

Live videos of the test streamed on YouTube showed the rocket climb away from the launch stand at SpaceX\u2019s test site at Boca Chica, Texas, located just east of Brownsville on the Gulf of Mexico near the U.S.-Mexico border. After swiveling its Raptor engine to maintain control, the shining silver testbed reached its maximum altitude before commencing its descent, deploying landing legs, and settling on flat ground after laterally covering about the length of a football field in its approximately 45-second flight.<\/p>\n