SpaceX takes a quick and fast fix approach, using tests to identify design flaws and make adjustments on subsequent flights. The announcement made by NASA last month is sure to draw more attention to the progress and setbacks of the spaceship.
A few weeks ago, NASA awarded the contract to SpaceX For $ 2.9 billion to use the Starship to transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the lunar surface. The contract is part of the Artemis program, and NASA is expected to select more than one company to build the lunar lander, which reflects the approach the space agency used to hire companies to transport cargo and now astronauts. International space station.
After the announcement, NASA’s decision was challenged by two other companies competing for the contract: Origin Blue, A private company founded by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon; Dan Dynetics, a defense contractor in Huntsville, ALA. I have NASA now SpaceX has ordered a halt to work on the lunar spacecraft Until the Government Accountability Office takes a decision on the protest. The challenge did not affect SpaceX’s work on the Starship model currently being tested in Texas.
Mr. company. Musk became successful in launching a business and is now one of the most valuable private companies in the world. Its Falcon 9 rocket has been the dominant backbone of sending satellites into orbit. It routinely transports cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station. Last month, he launched four astronauts onto the NASA Space Station, and then took another crew home on a night flight on Saturday.
However, many are skeptical of Mr Musk’s assertion that the company is only years away from sending a spacecraft to Mars, stating that he has repeatedly drawn up a timetable for SpaceX which has proven very optimistic.
In 2019, when Updates on Starship development, He said that the altitude test would occur in a few months and orbital flights could occur as early as 2020.
In contrast, several catastrophic failures have occurred due to weld damage. When the fuel tanks stopped tearing, two prototypes made it through the short trip last year. The Starship prototype, like a spray paint can with the sticker removed, climbed nearly 500 feet on a single rocket engine before returning to the test site in Texas.
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