(ORDO NEWS) — SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the long-awaited orbital test launch of the Starship spacecraft could take place this May. He announced this on his Twitter account.
To implement the plan, the company needs 39 Raptor engines , which will be ready by next month. SpaceX also hopes to conduct the first orbital flight using the Raptor 2 engines, which Elon Musk says are “much more powerful and more reliable.”
The Raptor 2 is a next-generation engine that is an improved version of the Raptor engine with higher thrust ratings and fewer parts.
SpaceX Starship test flight
There is still a lot to be done for the orbital test flight to take place in May. The company now has its first orbital-worthy Starship prototype, dubbed Ship 20, installed on a launch vehicle at SpaceX’s South Texas test site, awaiting a series of tests. In fact, it was only last week that the space company tested full-stack fuel tanks for the first time.
In addition, the launch cannot take place without approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which must publish the results of a protracted environmental review by March 28.
Undoubtedly, the stakes are higher than ever, as the tests will include a full-scale prototype, a launch vehicle and the Mehazilla, a giant tower that is supposed to “catch” the landing Starship. This is undoubtedly a new chapter in the history of SpaceX.
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