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Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku discusses the postponement of the launch of SpaceX and the future of space travel.
SpaceX could launch its next test flight of a prototype of its Mars rocket this week, founder and chief executive Elon Musk said on Twitter on Sunday.
He tweeted regarding the test fires and the expected schedule: “Just a static fire tomorrow. Flight no earlier than Wednesday. “
The company is trying to develop Starship, which is designed to carry dozens of people on long-distance flights so that it is possible to colonize Mars. Starship will be “the world’s most powerful launcher ever developed,” according to SpaceX’s website.
The prototype spacecraft serial number 8, or SN8, will attempt to reach an altitude of around 50,000 feet.
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SpaceX launched the prototype of its Mars rocket hundreds of meters into the air, then landed it upright in previous successful test flights on August 5 – the predecessor of the SN5 prototype – and on September 3 – the predecessor of the SN6 prototype.
SN5’s August flight lasted just 45 seconds and only reached 500 feet at the southeastern end of Texas near Brownsville, but was a significant first for the SpaceX spacecraft. Some previous tests have resulted in explosions on the platform.
“Mars looks real,” Musk tweeted after the short jump. “Progress is accelerating.”
Musk said several more short jumps were planned before a test version of Starship aimed for high altitude. The latest test model is relatively straightforward: it’s 100 feet tall and looks like a steel silo – or elongated box – with a cap on top.
The private company plans to launch reusable spacecraft atop rockets still in production, transporting goods or crews to low earth orbit, the moon and Musk’s most popular destination, Mars. The entire pile will span almost 400 feet.
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