The past few years have seen a lot of wins for the company. They've rolled out its first Super Heavy boosters, test-fired the new Raptor Vacuum engines, and assembled the Boca Chica launch tower. The first fully-furbished orbital test vehicle that was stacked with a first stage booster for the first time was unveiled.
When Musk announced that the first flight test could take place in January of 2022, few were surprised. The date had to be pushed back to an environmental assessment. The long-awaited orbital test flight could be conducted this May, after Musk recently announced on his company's success with the new Raptor engines.
On Monday, March 21st, CNBC's Michael Sheetz wrote a story about a space reporter. Sheetz cited a recent report that showed how Russia's decision to cut ties with the international space industry would affect the U.S. space sector. The absence of Russian launch services means more business will come their way, and that's what this report indicates.
First Starship orbital flight will be with Raptor 2 engines, as they are much more capable & reliable. 230 ton or ~500k lb thrust at sea level.
We’ll have 39 flightworthy engines built by next month, then another month to integrate, so hopefully May for orbital flight test.
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