The new 394-feet high Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster combination is set for its debut orbital flight in the coming weeks.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s private space company SpaceX recently unveiled its new Starship prototype, called SN20. Strapped to the company’s Super Heavy booster, it is being readied for launch.
While Elon Musk and SpaceX haven’t revealed the exact details of the launch, experts predict a timeline around the end of July for the completion of the launch tower. Check out inside details about the rocket and the planned mission:
1. Taller than the Statue of Liberty
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The new rocket, combined with the booster stands at a towering 394 feet. In comparison, the Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall from ground. | Pic courtesy: Twitter/ @RGVaerialphotos
2. Rocket will launch from Texas site
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Once the launch tower is ready, SN20 will launch from the SpaceX Boca Chica facility in Texas to low Earth orbit. | Pic courtesy: Twitter/ @RGVaerialphotos
3. Trip to orbit and return
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While the prototype rocket will launch from Texas, it will land in the ocean off the coast of Hawaii. It is expected to stay in orbit for 90 minutes. | Pic courtesy: Twitter/ @RGVaerialphotos
4. Reusable Super Heavy booster will land back
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The reusable booster will land back once it is detached from the rocket and land back in the Gulf of Mexico, 20 miles from the coast. | Pic courtesy: Twitter/ @RGVaerialphotos
5. Future vessel to Mars?
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The SN20 is a reusable rocket with a payload of more than 220,000lb. It could even be the vessel for future missions to send humans to Mars. | Pic courtesy: Twitter
