Science

SpaceX is currently studying how to land its Starship on the Moon

SpaceX director Elon Musk has given new information as to what his space company plans for its massive Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy launcher: to land safely on the Moon. From now on, SpaceX’s priority will be focused on Starship, the rocket intended to conquer the Moon and Mars.

” We are working on new feet, ” he wrote in a tweet. ” A wider base and an ability to level automatically. It is important to lean in the wind or land on rocky surfaces ”, he added.

Almost two weeks ago, SpaceX and NASA achieved a historic feat: taking off the Crew Dragon capsule, with two astronauts on board, and sending them to the International Space Station. But of course, Elon Musk does not want to stop there and continues to highlight his ambitions in the field of space exploration and conquest.

It was while responding to YouTuber Tim Dodd, better known as an “everyday astronaut” (from English: Everyday Astronaut), that Musk explained on Twitter that the atmospheric variant of the Starship spacecraft, which will one day allow it to return to Earth – or perhaps to land on other planets with an atmosphere, such as Mars – will also have “forward thrusters” in order to ” stabilize the spacecraft during landings in strong winds ”.

The Starship rocket: a priority for SpaceX

The Starship rocket will be a key element in the missions to the Moon and to Mars and is now a priority for American society. Because yes, SpaceX wants to go to the red planet in the years to come. NASA, meanwhile, plans to send humans to Mars by 2033, but it is not impossible that this project will be delayed given the scale of the project and all the issues including how space affects the human body.

As for the Starship spacecraft, in its final configuration, the latter will have the capacity to launch 100 tonnes of cargo into space, or, in a different configuration, 100 passengers at a time.

During the month of April, Starship passed its last ground test: it should be known that several prototypes of the Starship spacecraft were manufactured, and it was the SN4 which successfully passed the cryogenics test. This test was of paramount importance, as it simulates filling the fuel tank at full pressure under conditions that are similar to the vacuum of space. However, on May 29, SN4 exploded during another fuel test, therefore SpaceX will have to continue its efforts with SN5. ” SpaceX has gone much further with SN4 than previous vehicles, and SN5 looks set to be ready for testing, ” wrote Eric Berger, editor-in-chief at Ars Technica. “They also started work on a second launch pad in Boca Chica [Texas], “he added.

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