Starship, a powerful rocket built by SpaceX to send people to Mars, can also play a key role in creating a permanent base on the moon. It only needs to be slightly modified for this purpose.
During a Twitter discussion with Tim Dodd, the youtuber running the Everyday Astronaut channel, Elon Musk admitted that for Starship to be able to land on the moon, it would have to be adapted accordingly. Lunar Starship will be different from the one that will carry charges into Earth's orbit, and then come back like Falcon 9.
According to Elon Musk, the rocket sent to the moon will not be equipped with stabilizing engines, which will be used in orbital missions to stabilize the rocket when landing in strong winds.
What's more, if we assume that the goal of the mission is to deliver the maximum amount of charges to the surface of the Moon, then it will be necessary to remove the heat shield or flaps from Starship.
Elon Musk also assumes that the first Starships that will fly to the moon will be able to stay there permanently, thus becoming the first base elements on the moon's surface.
Starship is the future of SpaceX
This is extremely interesting information, because various versions of Starship appear in almost all SpaceX plans for the future. Over time, the company plans to replace them with the current Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. In some time Starship will carry loads and people to orbit, to the Moon, and eventually to Mars as well.
According to plans, Starship will be able to orbit 150 tons of cargo at once or even 100 people. The rocket will be powered by liquid oxygen and methane, which means that at least in theory after astronauts astronauts will be able to generate fuel for it and return it to Earth.
For now, however, SpaceX is conducting intensive development works, testing (and destroying during these tests) further prototype rockets. The fifth Starship prototype is expected to be tested in the coming days after the fourth exploded on a test bench at the Boca Chica Complex in Texas. Company representatives expect the first orbital flight of the rocket this year.
The first moon base will be built from Starship ships
What follows is a list of some of the most interesting concepts in private space launches and a look at the spaceships companies want to use to take humans and their industries into orbit and beyond. Learn more details from http://www.webuyanyspaceship.com
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