In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced new details about the company’s Starship rocket
including the location of the rocket’s first orbital launch and when we can expect to see this vehicle carry people into space. Details after the jump!
What is the SpaceX StarShip?
The SpaceX Starship is a concept orbital spacecraft designed to facilitate interplanetary transport and operations. The spacecraft was first announced in September 2017 with details that include a two-stage launch vehicle and two or three re-usable space vehicles (Dragon capsules) that will be used to transport passengers, cargo, and crew for long-duration missions inside of earth’s orbit. The SpaceX Starship is expected to enter production by 2020 with launches beginning sometime after 2022. It’s currently unclear if humans are part of its development. Stay tuned for updates from SpaceX on Twitter and Facebook.
The SpaceX Starship will be powered by four Raptor engines, which are a completely new iteration of SpaceX’s Merlin engine family. The Raptor will be an in-house development by SpaceX and is scheduled to undergo its first test flight on an uncrewed Dragon 2 spacecraft in 2019. It’s expected that over 150 Raptors will be built for use on both Starship and Crew Dragon (Dragon V2) crafts.
The SpaceX Starship – Third Paragraph: It’s believed that passengers would be sent into deep space with no destination other than Mars; at least initially, before starting its possible exploration of Jupiter, Venus or others.
What happens between now and the launch?
The SpaceX Starship launch date has already been pushed to 2022. Now, we’re getting a much better look at exactly what will happen between now and then. One of Musk’s greatest challenges is making a launch vehicle that doesn’t require any infrastructure changes – aside from massive new launch pads built on Mars. The architecture allows for spaceships to take off and land vertically, so they can be placed inside reusable fuel tanks that are positioned in strategic locations around Earth and Mars. In theory, those fuel tanks could be used for multiple launches, allowing spacecraft to take off without having to reposition or build more infrastructure.
Last week, Musk took to Twitter to give a sneak peek at what one of these launch pads will look like. SpaceX has previously said that they are designing smaller rockets that can be used to ferry spaceships up into orbit and send them on their way toward Mars. Musk first mentioned plans for a small rocket called Super Heavy back in 2017, but now it looks like those smaller rockets could be part of an entirely new architecture. The spacecraft will still launch on something bigger, like a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy vehicle. To save weight, though, these SpaceX Starlink launches won’t have as much fuel aboard when they leave Earth – making room for large fuel tanks in orbit instead.
Where will it be launched from?
SpaceX has announced that its new SpaceX Starship will be launched from Falcon Heavy, which is located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This newly-announced launch destination for SpaceX’s highly anticipated new vehicle means that an exciting year of developments are ahead. Falcon Heavy was developed in 2005 by SpaceX and has been used to launch multiple space rockets, including several cargo spaceships bound for Mars. A SpaceX spokesperson said they plan to develop a new generation of space rockets over time to accommodate both crewed and uncrewed flights; these have already proven successful with rocket tests taking place in January 2019, 2018, and 2017.
It’s not yet clear where SpaceX will set up its operations on Mars, but Mars One is currently working to send humans to Mars by 2024. While these two space companies are starting in two very different places—Earth and Mars—they may be able to work together in order to improve both Earth-based and Martian-based infrastructure. A space shuttle landing pad on Earth could serve as a great staging area for future SpaceX launches or other flights, or it could help test out new prototype vehicles that might one day be used on Mars. With any luck, it’ll be just one of many ways that these innovative companies can work together.
Who will do the launch?
SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk have announced that Starhopper, SpaceX’s first rocket designed to take humans into space, will launch in 2022. It’s a huge amount of risk, he said. I hope it works. Musk also announced that SpaceX will use its BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) rockets to transport people across Mars. The new BFRs, which are much larger than Starhopper and can carry more cargo weight than any other spacecraft in history, will make one-way trips from Earth to Mars possible. At first, Musk plans to use these rockets for manned missions only.
As I mentioned, Musk said during a TED Talks presentation in Vancouver, the whole point of BFR is to make it really easy to go to Mars and really fun. So we want you to be able to get there quickly. So there will be about a dozen flights per year for at least half a century or more than that … Ultimately, if things go super well it’ll become kind of like an aircraft schedule where you can book passage on a flight and depart on a certain day and time. It’s going to take some time but eventually you could buy a ticket that leaves today at 10 am. That’s what we’re aiming for.
Why don’t they have more information on that?
On Friday, SpaceX announced plans to launch its massive new rocket—dubbed Starship—in August of 2022. The goal is to put it into orbit for a second time before 2023. This isn’t surprising news, given that SpaceX founder Elon Musk did say in February that he expected Orbit attempts by end of 2020. What is unexpected are some details about what’s going on behind the scenes as SpaceX prepares for next year’s test launches. Namely…Where will they land? This has been one of my biggest concerns with Starlink: how do you reuse them when you have no idea where they’re going to land?
That’s why it came as such a shock to me to hear that SpaceX is planning to land them back on Earth in 2021. And according to Musk, those landings will occur not on any of SpaceX’s traditional landing pads, but at a second-generation site still under construction at Boca Chica Beach in Texas. This is major news. It suggests that SpaceX has figured out how to recover an orbital launch vehicle and return it safely back down from space—something no other private company has done before.
How much will it cost to get there?
The updated estimates show that SpaceX is committed to making space travel accessible for all. Of course, everything comes at a price. The current estimate for a SpaceX Starship launch is $9,000-$13,000, depending on how much cargo you want to bring with you. Not bad compared to other space startups like Virgin Galactic’s estimated cost of $250,000. Virgin Galactic is planning its first orbital flights in 2021. We will be sure to share any updates as they roll out new details!
If you’re looking to be one of SpaceX’s first passengers, it may be wise to start saving now. There are a few different options available including flights between Earth and Mars for $500k-1 million. The estimated cost includes transportation for two, but if you plan on making a trip with friends or family, there are shared pricing options as well. You can get more information on SpaceX’s website and become one of their earliest customers today!
How much will tickets cost once I’m there?
They’re still not saying. What we do know is that SpaceX has said it plans to charge about $200,000 per seat, a price closer to what some may think of as affordable. The thing is, once you’re on board and in orbit, it’ll cost almost nothing for additional trips around Earth. Keep in mind that when Musk talks about tickets costing $200K each, he’s not just talking about getting you off-world—he’s also counting on you spending money for all your personal expenses during your time there. He estimates that if all goes according to plan with his launch system, which is slated to enter service in 2022 (so don’t get too excited), a ticket from anywhere on Earth will cost less than a new iPhone X by 2023.
Let’s do some simple math. Using Musk’s estimated cost of $200,000 per passenger—as reported by David Fincher at Mashable—and adjusting for inflation over 20 years, we come up with a price tag of $242,424 in 2018 dollars. That’s a hefty sum if you consider that every time you want to go back and forth from Earth it will cost another $250K (that was his estimate). After all, once you get there and have your hotel room on Mars all squared away, you can live like royalty without having to spend another dime. Most people won’t need much more than their standard weekly paycheck each week to live comfortably on Mars since food and entertainment costs are zero.
What about using my savings? Well, if you want to become a Martian immigrant on your own dollar and actually bank those savings, don’t hold your breath. A more realistic option is to apply for a job with one of Musk’s space companies in advance. In that case, your employer will foot all of your costs—including flights back and forth between Earth and Mars—and all you have to do is work hard.
