SpaceX Releases Image Of Finished Spaceship

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Key Takeaways:

  • Elon Musk revealed images of his completed Starship test vehicle, a 30-foot-wide aluminum prototype, intended for suborbital "Grasshopper" flights to prove its design.
  • This Starship is a precursor to operational versions designed to transport people to the Moon, Mars, and other solar system destinations by the mid-2020s, powered by a Super Heavy rocket.
  • Musk anticipates the test vehicle's first flight within approximately eight weeks, acknowledging potential unforeseen delays, with construction actively progressing in Texas and California.
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Over the weekend, Elon Musk tweeted out images of what his completed Spaceship test vehicle will look like, and said it should be ready for first flight within weeks. The ship is 30 feet across, the same as the final vehicle, according to Engadget. It has a shiny aluminum hull, but no windows. Musk said, “Operational Starships would obviously have windows, etc.” The Starship is meant to take people to the Moon, Mars and elsewhere in the solar system, powered by a giant Super Heavy rocket, as soon as the mid-2020s, Musk has said. The Spaceship’s job will be to fly suborbital “Grasshopper” flights to prove the design.

Musk also posted current photos of his work-in-progress, including this one from Texas (below) by Maria Pointer, one of his Twitter followers. The photo shows the two sections of the hull apparently in their final stages of construction in a field. In his tweet on Saturday, Musk said he is aiming for first flight in four weeks, “which probably means eight weeks, due to unforeseen issues.” Work is also underway at SpaceX headquarters in California.

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