If everything goes according to plan, the first spaceship for the moon and Mars will be launched in two months.
People and cargo will be taken to the moon, Mars and beyond. The Super Heavy booster is the first stage of the vehicle.
Both Super Heavy and Starship are designed to be completely and rapidly re-usable, and both will be powered by the same engine. It is a challenge to build so many engines, but the company is on track to have enough for the first test flight.
This year, the Starship will reach Mars.
We will have 39 flightworthy engines built by next month, then another month to integrate, so hopefully May for orbital flight test, Musk said on Monday.
That target is dependent on the resolution of an environmental review that is being conducted by the FAA. FAA officials have said that the view will end by March 28.
There have been a number of test launches of prototype upper-stage vehicles with a maximum of three Raptor engines. The first liftoff of a six-engine Starship and the first launch of a Super Heavy will be marked by the upcoming orbital test flight.
The Super Heavy booster will splash down after liftoff. If all goes according to plan, the upper stage of the Starship will circle our planet once and then splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Over the past year or so, the target timeline for the debut orbital Starship flight has changed multiple times due to unforeseen developments in the development of a new launch vehicle that has not yet run the full regulatory gauntlet.
Mike Wall is the author of Out There, a book about the search for alien life. You can follow him on social media. Follow us on social media.
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