Elon Musk Unveils the Crazy New Starship 2022
Introduction
Starship 2 xero or Starship II 0 is the new 18 meter spaceship designed by Elon Musk in his quest to colonize Mars. SpaceX has made progress in the development of Starship and aims to deliver payloads to low Earth orbit, the moon, Mars, and other destinations in the solar system. With the new Starship design, SpaceX hopes to improve on the current design and make space travel more accessible. In this article, we’ll look at the new Starship design, the challenges facing SpaceX in its development, and what the future might hold for space exploration.
Background
The Starship is a fully reusable orbital launch and lander that stands at a height of 120 meters (390 feet). The rocket comprises two stages, the Super Heavy accelerator, and the Starship spacecraft itself. Both stages are powered by Raptor and Raptor vacuum motors with housing made of SA-304L stainless steel. SpaceX produces Starships through operational testing rather than testing each component individually, which makes the design flexible.
The Starship is expected to be able to deliver more than 100 tons (220,000 pounds) of payload to low Earth orbit in a fully reusable configuration. The goal of SpaceX is to have a million-person martian metropolis which can be self-sufficient. To achieve this, at least ten thousand crude Starships and one hundred thousand cargo Starships will be required. SpaceX also plans to mass-produce Starships and go to other parts of the solar system. However, the company’s Mars program has been postponed many times, contradicting Musk’s bullish expectations.
Challenges Facing SpaceX
The colonization of Mars remains a significant challenge for Elon Musk and SpaceX since it requires a large number of cargo ships to transport cargo and people to the planet. SpaceX also faces challenges in breaking through with the Sabate reaction, which can be used to produce liquid methane in liquid oxygen for return flights from the planet. The process is presently inefficient in terms of energy consumption and requires a complex heat control system. To manage this kind of breakthrough, Starship’s design needs further revisions with hands-on test data.
Development of Starship
After previous versions that gradually improved some design components, the SN8 prototype became the first full Starship prototype between October and November 2020. The vehicle was subjected to four static fire tests, all of which resulted in damage. It was tested again in December 2020, and the SNA took to the air, reaching an altitude of 12.5 kilometers (7.8 miles) before performing a belly maneuver. The SN8 recovered to vertical before landing and then crashed into the pad at high speed, destroying itself due to a fuel supply issue. The SN9 launched two months later in February 2021. Both SN8 and SN9 flights were examined by the FFA as debris from the explosion threatened the surrounding region.
In March 2021, the company submitted a public development proposal that included two suborbital launch pads, two orbital launch pads, two landing pads, two prototype test benches, and a massive fuel tank. The company also proposed to turn the village of Boca Chica into a mega-city called Starbase, which will serve as a suitable place for all development and testing. The SN12, SN13, and SN14 modules were not fully assembled; however, the SN15 made a number of changes to the design software and engines and went on its first successful mission on May 5th, 2021.
The Starship SN20 was the first to contain a hull with a high heat shield consisting mainly of black hexagonal heat tiles. Whereas the super-heavy BN4 was the first to mate with the Starship. In October 2021, the mechanical arm of the first launch tower was installed, completing the recovery system, and the last tank insulation cover was installed, completing the first tank farm. In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX described in detail the proposed trajectory of the first orbital flight of the Starship system.
The Future of Space Exploration
Elon Musk has already begun making plans for the next generation of Starship, dubbed Starship 2.0, which will be twice the size of a ship that will transport personnel and cargo to the moon and Mars. The Starship 2.0 will be twice as large as Starship 1.0, measuring only about 240 meters (775 feet) high and 18 meters (60 feet) wide.
The power of the Super Heavy SpaceX Starship 2.0 will be very close to that of the Sea Dragon, even though Starship 2.0 will require four times as many engines. The structure will require twice as much steel and twice as much heat shield, but welding and ring-laying tasks will mostly be automated by the time the MK2 goes into production.
Conclusion
Space exploration has always been an expensive and challenging endeavor, but Elon Musk and SpaceX are committed to making it more accessible with the development of Starship. Despite several setbacks and delays, the company has made progress in the development of Starship, and the new Starship design promises to improve space travel. With the upcoming launch of Starship’s first orbital flight, we are set to see the dawn of a new era of space travel.