Buckle up, space enthusiasts! Elon Musk has dropped another bombshell. SpaceX’s Starship is set to take its first orbital flight soon with a 50% chance of success, as confirmed by the man himself. The stakes are high, and tension is mounting – will this be a historic moment of triumph for SpaceX or an expensive failure? Let’s dive in and explore what we know so far about this exciting development!
What is SpaceX’s Starship?
SpaceX’s Starship is a next-generation spacecraft designed to take humans to Mars and beyond. The spacecraft is currently in development, with the first orbital test flight expected in 2020.
Musk has said that the chances of success for the first orbital flight are “somewhat less than 50%”. However, he also said the odds would improve with each successive flight.
The Starship spacecraft is being developed by SpaceX, a private company founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX also manufactures rockets and launch services for NASA and other commercial customers.
Elon Musk’s comments on the success of the first orbital flight
Elon Musk, the founder, CEO and CTO of SpaceX, said on Twitter that the company’s new Starship spacecraft has a “slim chance” of success on its first orbital flight.
The spacecraft is being constructed at SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas facility. Once completed, it will be the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of carrying humans to Mars and beyond.
Musk has said that he expects the first orbital flight of Starship to occur in late 2019 or early 2020. However, he cautioned that there is only a “small chance” that the spacecraft will be successful on its maiden voyage.
“Orbital flight attempt next year,” Musk wrote in a tweet. “Slim chance of success.”
Musk’s comments come just days after SpaceX announced that it had signed a contract with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to fly him and a group of artists around the moon aboard Starship in 2023.
What the orbital flight will entail
Assuming everything goes according to plan, the orbital flight of SpaceX’s Starship will be a momentous event. Here’s what it will entail:
The launch will occur from SpaceX’s private launch site in Texas, using the company’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. Once in orbit, the Starship will deploy its solar panels and begin charging its batteries.
It will then use its onboard thrusters to raise its orbit until it reaches an altitude of approximately 62 miles (100 kilometres). At this point, the engines will shut off, and the spacecraft will coast for a while.
Once it has reached the apogee of its orbit, the engines will fire again to begin the de-orbit burn. This will slow the spacecraft down and cause it to fall back towards Earth.
The Starship will experience intense friction and heat as it re-enters the atmosphere. To protect itself, the spacecraft will rotate so that its belly faces towards the atmosphere. This should help to dissipate some of the heat build-ups.
Finally, as it nears the ground, the Starship’s parachutes will deploy, slowing it down for a safe landing at the launch site.
The possibility of success for the mission
SpaceX’s Starship has a good chance of success on its first orbital flight, CEO Elon Musk said in a recent interview.
The spacecraft is being assembled at SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, and is expected to make its maiden voyage sometime in 2019.
Musk said that the chances of success for the mission are “somewhere between 40 and 50 percent.”
“I would say it’s probably higher than that,” he added. “But I want to be conservative.”
The CEO also said that the company is still working on improving the design of the spacecraft and that future iterations will have an even higher chance of success.
“We’re still making some improvements to the design,” he said. “I think we’ve got a pretty good handle on what needs to be done. But there’s always some risk associated with new technology.”
Conclusion
With the successful launch of SpaceX’s Starship, we have moved one step closer to space exploration being more accessible. We are excited to see what comes next and how Elon Musk will continue to push the boundaries of space exploration with this spacecraft. According to Elon Musk, there is a 50% chance that the first orbital flight will be successful despite some setbacks. We wish them all good luck in their endeavours and hope this technological advancement continues influencing our lives for years to come!
