NBC News reported that “a slate of new rockets look to make their debut” in 2023 and that “few rockets attract the kind of curiosity and awe that SpaceX’s behemoth Starship does.” Standing at a “towering 394 feet (with a 164-foot-tall spacecraft also known as Starship attached), the fully stacked launch vehicle is taller than NASA’s retired Saturn V rocket that was used during the Apollo moon program, as well as the agency’s new Space Launch System.” The next-generation rocket “is designed for missions to the moon and eventually Mars.” The huge booster “will play an important role in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon and establish bases on the lunar surface.” If successful, the rocket “will not only pave the way for more regular flights to the moon but will also lower the cost of such journeys.” Laura Forczyk, executive director of Astralytical, an Atlanta space consulting firm, said, “Starship has the opportunity to really revolutionize the way that we do space transportation, so it’s a big deal.” Starship is expected “to launch on its first uncrewed orbital flight this year, though no specific date has been announced by SpaceX.” Last month, the company “said it had completed a ‘wet dress rehearsal,’ which involved fully fueling the rocket with 10 million pounds of propellant, as would be done prior to liftoff.”
Full Story (NBC News)
