The Space X company now seems poised to send a starship rocket into orbit within the next six months, with a long term plan toward moving humans into space. At least, that’s what’s coming out of press conferences with the leadership of the unique innovator.
The Starship MK-1 space vehicle is now a prototype, but Elon Musk believes that it has the potential to take humanity to Mars.
Coverage at CNET reveals how prototypes have completed low altitude “hops” and how the company plans to conduct more testing within a couple of months.
A recent press conference by Musk showed some of the entrepreneur’s plans for innovating space travel, a task that it seems the U.S. government has largely abdicated to his private company.
The tech press is paying attention.
“If the manufacturing and testing work all goes well, and SpaceX does indeed get a Starship prototype to orbit in six months or so, an even bigger milestone could follow in relatively short order,” writes Mike Wall at Space.com, citing Musk’s own comment describing his own plans as possibly “totally nuts.”
Despite the self-deprecation, though, Musk seems confident, and the proliferation of these shuttles, which can be viewed easily across the Internet, seems to bear out the potential of SpaceX’s recent work.
Musk also talked about orbital refilling for transferring fuel to a spacecraft in orbit.
“I think we should do our very best to become a multi-plant species, and we should do it now,” Musk said, according to reporting.
SpaceX is also working with NASA to bring astronauts to the international space station from the U.S.
All of this should tickle the fancy of science-fiction fans who share Musk’s broad hopes and ambitions for bringing humans closer to the outer reaches of their universe. Keep watching what SpaceX is doing, in slow increments, to propel humanity further beyond the surly bonds of earth.
