SpaceX might conduct Starship’s first orbital test flight in a few weeks from today. According to a CNBC report, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told those at the online International Space Development conference that the company was “shooting for July” when planning the orbital trip.
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Gwynne was aware of the challenges, but said that her firm was “really on the cusp” of that key journey.
The current orbital flight plan has a Starship prototype launching from Boca Chica, Texas, and dropping its Super Heavy booster stage into the Gulf of Mexico after roughly three minutes. The spacecraft would enter orbit and make a soft water landing near Hawaii after a total time of about 90 minutes.
As before, this assumes no major complications — and that’s been SpaceX’s greatest issue so far. The private spaceflight firm lost numerous Starship prototypes before sticking the landing in May.
While these included high-altitude flights, orbit has its own share of risks. While some of the main difficulties are in the past, there’s no guarantee the refinements made since then will guarantee a smooth trip this time around.
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