The billionaire entrepreneur wrote on Twitter: “Now that Hopper has flown, Starship update probably in two weeks or so.” That milestone occurred last week at SpaceX’s South Texas facility in Boca Chica, so the update will be coming soon, probably by mid-August, Musk said over the weekend. Musk first outlined a detailed Starship design in September 2016, during a talk at the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Mexico.
Musk referred to Starship then as a ”Mars Colonial Transporter”.
He added: “I’m certain success is one of the possible outcomes for establishing a self sustaining Mars colony, in fact a growing Mars colony.
“I actually think the odds of a Mars colony are pretty good.”
As currently envisioned, Starship will sport six of SpaceX’s next-generation Raptor engines, with slots for two more Raptors if need be.
Starship will be mounted on top of a SpaceX Super Heavy rocket, planned for a first test flight in 2020.
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The ultimate aim for Starship is to carry crew and resources to the moon and Mars.
But, the 2021 launch will be utilised to send satellites into orbit around the Earth and elsewhere.
Mr Hofeller said SpaceX plans to do several test flights before using the next-generation launch system for satellites.
Those test flights, a number he did not quantify, are to demonstrate the launch system for customers and to assuage any concerns by insurers about the reliability of a new vehicle.
SpaceX ultimately intends to supersede its current partly reusable Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launchers with the fully reusable Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage.
Mr Hofeller said: “Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are going to be around as long as our customers want them.
“If we make them obsolete by having a better product and a lower price, great.”
Elon Musk aims to create a Plan B for life on Earth on the red planet.
In 2017 he said: “I hope people start to think of it as a real goal to which we should aspire, to establish a civilisation on Mars.
“This is not just about humanity, it’s about all the life that we care about.”
