Starship could be ready for Flight 4 in 2 weeks
SpaceX’s Starship launch rehearsal for flight 4 is complete.
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted his company’s megarocket could make its next integrated flight test from Boca Chica, Texas in just 2 weeks.
He added that the primary goal is to get through max reentry heating.
Dr. Don Platt, Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech told us, “So, the last time they made it to orbit with the Starship vehicle. But then as they tried to reenter the atmosphere, now they were a little bit off of their proper alignment. And so unfortunately, the Starship did not survive max heating and it’s kind of burnt up then in the atmosphere.”
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NASA wants to use a variant of Starship as a human lander for the Artemis III mission.
Platt said today, “NASA has a variety of different things that they’re counting on Starship to do, including land humans on the moon. and I think that we’ll see as we move forward even more plans.”
Even as SpaceX develops Starship and its Super Heavy booster in Texas, the company is planning for future launches from the Space Coast.
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At the moment, SpaceX doesn’t have an FAA-issued license to launch the Starship vehicle from the Kennedy Space Center.
But, a comprehensive environmental impact statement for purposes of obtaining a license is being conducted with public meetings scheduled here in Central Florida on June 12 and 13.
There will be a virtual meeting on June 17.
Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is another potential launch site.
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