SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk recently revealed on social media the schedule for the next flight test of the Starship. Starship is currently the largest rocket in the world, and its goal is to be able to send humans to Mars and the moon.
Elon Musk revealed the information in response to a video released by SpaceX showing highlights from Starship’s first suborbital flight last month. He said that SpaceX will complete the upgrade of the launch pad within a month, and then spend another month testing the rocket on the launch pad before conducting the second flight test of the starship.
Elon Musk’s statement is consistent with previous statements by NASA and the FCC. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson testified before Congress last month that SpaceX had told him the next flight test would be at least two months away. And earlier this month, SpaceX filed a document with the FCC requesting permission to communicate with the rocket during Starship Flight Test 2. The document also lays out a timetable, starting on the 15th of the next month.
If all goes well, Starship could make a second suborbital flight in late July and attempt a soft landing. Starship, SpaceX’s key project, consists of two parts: a super-heavy rocket booster and a reusable capsule. It is capable of carrying more than 100 tons of payload and is capable of transporting people and supplies to and from Earth, the Moon and Mars. NASA has selected Starship as part of its Human Lunar Landing System (HLS) program, which aims to return American astronauts to the moon.
