Starship could be ready to launch again in ‘six to eight weeks,’ Elon Musk says

Starship could be ready to launch again in ‘six to eight weeks,’ Elon Musk says

Engineers from SpaceX, federal regulators, and environmentalists have been trying to figure out what will happen next since the company's first test flight of the most powerful rocket ever built. During a Twitter Spaces chat on Saturday evening, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated, "The outcome was roughly in line with what I expected and, maybe slightly exceeded my expectations." The April 20 takeoff of Starship, as the vehicle is called, was hugely strong, making some harm SpaceX's platform in South Texas. Although it would take "six to eight weeks" to prepare the infrastructure for a subsequent launch, Musk stated that he was "glad to report that the pad damage is actually quite small." He added that the rocket "probably shattered the concrete" when its 30 out of 33 engines reached "full thrust" during the flight test. The blast in midair likewise provoked a government examination that could require weeks or months to finish. SpaceX's Starship launched into space on top of a Super Heavy rocket booster during the test mission. TOPSHOT: On April 20, 2023, the SpaceX Starship explodes following a flight test from the Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. At 8:33 a.m. Central Time (1333 GMT), the rocket launched successfully. Three minutes into the flight, the Starship capsule was supposed to separate from the first-stage rocket booster, but it didn't, and the rocket blew up instead. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images) Was the SpaceX launch actually a "success"?

The Super Heavy "vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble," according to SpaceX, which described the incident as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," its oft-used euphemism for an explosive mishap. The spacecraft was expected to separate from the rocket booster minutes after liftoff.

The vehicle's flight end, or fall to pieces, include was set off, detonating the rocket and sponsor over the Bay of Mexico. Musk said that component took surprisingly lengthy to explode the rocket, guaranteeing it didn't pitch off base, and that the flight end framework would should be re-ensured. That could be the deciding component in what amount of time it requires for the organization to get another Starship on the platform.

Yet, there was some uplifting news: " Musk stated, "The structural margins of the vehicle appear to be better than we expected." As we can perceive the vehicle is really doing somersaults towards the end yet remaining in salvageable shape."

Since then, the responses from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other agencies are as follows: