Name change alert! The SpaceX BFR is now called "Starship"



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In September 2016, Musk gave the world a quick overview of its super-heavy pitcher project. Previously known as Colonial carrier of march, the renowned Interplanetary transport system (ITS) was the centerpiece of Musk's long-term vision of organizing commercial trips into orbit, the moon and even Mars. Since then, the architecture of the mission and even the name of the system have changed several times.

For example, in September 2017 – at a presentation titled "Making Life Interplanetary", Musk introduced the world to an updated launch system, which had been renamed the Launch System. Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) and the Falcon Spaceship (BFS). And just recently, Musk announced the system will now be known as "Spatialship", and his rocket the "Very heavy".

The announcement was made earlier this week (Nov. 19) via Musk's twitter account. As he said at the time "Rename BFR Starship", followed by "Technically, two parts: Spatialship is the spaceship / top floor & Very heavy is the rocket booster needed to get out of the deep gravity well of the Earth (useless for other planets or moons) ".

This announcement comes in the wake of Musk, indicating that previous projects to achieve the second stage of Falcon 9 reusable were scrapped in order to focus on the development of the Starship. "In fact, SpaceX no longer plans to upgrade Falcon 9's second floor to reuse it," he said. tweeted on November 17th. "Speed ​​up BFR instead. The new design is very exciting! Deliciously counterintuitive.

Before that (November 7), Musk had tweeted that his company would build a miniature winged version of the spacecraft to test the design. This mini-ship, he said, will be launched at the summit of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rocket from June 2019 (which should coincide with the launch of SpaceX's first batch of Starlink satellites).

Although Musk has not revealed any new details on the spacecraft's design, it is reasonable to say that it will resemble the updated diagrams presented by Musk in September. It was at that time, at a press conference at SpaceX headquarters in California, that Musk clarified who would be the first passengers of the BFR: the innovator / curator of Japanese fashion , Yusaku Maezawa, and a group of artists.

Artist's impression of the SpaceX spacecraft deploying cargo in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Credit: SpaceX

This mission, which should contribute to the financing of the development of the super heavy launcher, should take place in 2023 and will be the first private flight for lunar passengers. The mission will last a full week and will involve the spacecraft flying over the Moon – approaching 200 km from the surface – before returning to Earth.

the Spatialship is intended to eventually replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles, and its construction is expected to cost around US $ 5 billion. As Musk has repeatedly stated in the past, the complete system will be used to perform lunar tourism flights around the moon, as well as to facilitate commercial transport between major cities.

However, the ultimate goal of Spatialship involves regular flights to Mars and facilitating the construction of a permanent human settlement on site. In September, Musk gave an updated overview of the proposed base (named Mars Base Alpha). When asked when this base could become a reality, he tweeted"Probably 2028 for building a base."

SpaceX currently hopes to conduct the first suborbital test flights of the Spatialship Over the next year, Musk said he hoped to begin cargo flights as early as 2022, followed by the first crewed flight to Mars by 2024. As stated on their website:

"The objectives of the first mission will be to confirm the water resources, identify the hazards and set up the initial infrastructure of power supply, mining and maintenance. A second mission, both cargo and crew, is planned for 2024 and its main objective is to build a propellant depot and prepare for future crew flights. The ships of these initial missions will also serve as a base for the first base of Mars, from which we can build a prosperous city and, possibly, an autonomous civilization on Mars. "

Musk and the company he founded have had a busy year with the intention of reviving space exploration, and the news has not all been good. But when it comes to his company's breakthroughs with his super-heavy pitcher (now known as Starship, perhaps another later), Musk has managed to inspire and capture the imagination of Countless people across the planet.

Even if there are obstacles along the way or if deadlines need to be revised, there is no shortage of people who want it to succeed.

Further reading: BBC

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