SpaceX may launch a full-size Starship prototype in Texas hundreds of feet into the air on Sunday
Elon Musk/SpaceX via Twitter
- SpaceX is developing a fully reusable rocket system called Starship-Super Heavy in Texas.
- Before the vehicle can fly to orbit, the aerospace company needs to prove the system's core design works.
- Elon Musk said Thursday that the latest Starship prototype, called SN5, could soon perform an experimental "hop" hundreds of feet into the air.
- Musk did not offer specifics on the timing, but a Federal Aviation Administration notice suggests SpaceX could attempt the flight on Sunday afternoon or evening.
- The test could occur within hours of SpaceX landing Demo-2, the company's first crewed mission with two NASA astronauts on board.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
If you think grain silos can't fly, you might be in for a surprise on Sunday.
SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk, is fervently working to develop a potentially revolutionary rocket system called Starship in Boca Chica, a relatively remote region at the southeastern tip of Texas. If Starship and its Super Heavy rocket booster end up being fully reusable, Musk has said, the system may reduce the cost of launching anything to space by about 1,000-fold.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
NOW WATCH: Why NASA waited nearly a decade to send astronauts into space from the US
See Also:
- SpaceX must pass a new environmental review before it can launch Starship-Super Heavy rockets from Texas, and it might add years to Elon Musk's Mars timeline
- A startup is building a balloon to transport tourists to the 'edge of space' for $125,000. See what the Spaceship Neptune may look like.
- This $16,522 teardrop-inspired retro travel trailer can double in price with all available customizations — see inside