On October 13, SpaceX made one of the largest technological breakthroughs in space research. Their latest rocket - Starship - flew into space and successfully returned to the ground, confirming the possibility of its reuse. This discovery has become an important step in the direction of significant cost of space missions and creating new opportunities for space research. All these achievements can put NASA in a situation where she has to view her own programs.
Starship is not just another rocket. This is the most powerful rocket ever created by humans, with a huge potential for changes in the space industry. The rocket has two main degrees: a giant Super Heavy rocket launcher and a spacecraft that is located on its upper stage. During the last test, the rocket reached a height of 65 km and turned back, providing a record speed when slowing down before landing. An important achievement was that the rocket launcher was able to rise into the air and then captured the starting platform manipulators after landing, which demonstrated the possibility of re-use of the rocket. This success opens new horizons for space missions. The cost of launching Starship is estimated at $ 10 million, which is 10 times cheaper than traditional missiles. With the forecasts that the rocket will be able to start every two to three weeks, the cost of research in space will decrease significantly, which will allow more experiments and missions that were previously economically unattainable.
One of SpaceX's largest opponents in space launches - NASA - is still behind. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, designed to perform heavy missions, is extremely expensive and one -time. The estimates of each launch of SLS range from billions of dollars, while starting Starship will only cost $ 10 million. Thus, the new SpaceX rocket can change the rules of the game by making old missiles, such as SLS, less competitive. For SpaceX, this can be not only a financial breakthrough, but also a major step forward in the plans to master Mars. Ilon Musk is actively working on the realization of his ambitious goal - colonization of the red planet. Already in the next few years, he promises to launch drones on Mars, and four years later to carry out the first manned missions. Musk plans that a colony with a population of up to a million people may appear on Mars for 30 years. Despite the striking achievements, some scholars are skeptical of the mask plans. Traveling to Mars is an incredibly difficult task that requires not only technological progress, but also solving many other problems, such as ensuring living conditions for people, safety of space travel and sustainable development of the colony. However, given the success of SpaceX in the creation of Starship, we can assume that this is only the beginning of a large path to the implementation of space ambitions mask.
So far, Starship is one of the greatest technological achievements in the history of space development. If this project manages to finish, we will witness the revolution in space missions that will become accessible to states, companies and even researchers from all over the world. Due to the reduction of the cost of launches, new opportunities will open up for science and business, and Ilon Mask's achievements can determine the following decades in space research.
