It seems that we could soon witness the first launch of SpaceX's massive rocket, Starship, according to The Hill.
In a series of photos, the company shared the space vehicle's progress ahead of its highly anticipated test flight.
Starship is made up of two major components, a massive first-stage booster called the "Super Heavy" and an upper stage called the "Starship." Both components of the craft are designed to be fully reusable.
Starship's First Orbital Test Flight Could Take Place Soon
SpaceX has been working its way toward the rocket's first orbital test flight, Digital Trends reported.
According to CEO Elon Musk, it could take place as soon as the end of February. Once again, he said that the mission could happen "soon."
On Thursday, he tweeted that SpaceX is about to conduct a series of all-important "wet dress rehearsals."
The wet dress rehearsal will put the rocket through all of the pre-flight procedures prior to its launch.
In the upcoming historic mission, we would see SpaceX pair Starship vehicle Ship 24 with Super Heavy Booster 7.
On Monday, the company released drone footage that features the company's Mechazilla, the gigantic launch tower at Starbase, Texas.
According to SpaceX, if all goes according to plan, the Mechazilla will serve as a launch and eventually a landing tower.
The chopstick-like arms of Mechazilla serve a dual purpose. It helps move hardware on and off the launch pad. In addition, it helps catch the returning Super Heavy boosters.
In 2015, the company first announced its plan to build the massive Starship. In the years that followed, we have seen the company design, and build prototypes at its Texas-based facilities.
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Super Heavy Rocket is Expected to be the Most Powerful Rocket to Fly
At launch, the Super Heavy rocket will pack an astonishing 17 million pounds of thrust. When it finally launches, it will become the most powerful rocket ever to fly.
Comparing the space vehicle to NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that sent the Orion spacecraft toward the moon in November 2022, the SLS only generates 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
Meanwhile, SpaceX's trusty Falcon 9 rocket generates only 1.7 million pounds.
Given that fact, when the launch finally happens in a couple of months, it's going to be a spectacular sight.
It is expected that the launch will draw huge crowds who want to witness the mission get underway in person.
In the event that the first orbital test flight of the Super Heavy and Starship becomes successful, SpaceX and NASA will then be able to proceed with their plans to use the space vehicle for crewed missions to the moon and even Mars.
As early as 2025, we might see a modified version of the Starship spacecraft land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis III mission.
In addition, SpaceX is also planning to use the Starship spacecraft for the all-civilian dearMoon mission. The mission is set to send nine people on a flyby of the moon.
But before then, SpaceX has still plenty of work to be done.
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