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| SpaceX plans to test Starship in July |
SpaceX can perform the first orbital test flight of an interstellar spacecraft in a few weeks. Although there are no official approvals to launch such markets.
Gwen Shortwell said entrepreneur Elon Musk's company plans to launch the first orbital spaceflight from a Starship rocket in July.
"I hope we succeed, but we all know it's difficult," Shotwell said at the International Conference on the Development of Virtual Space organized by the Center for the Development of Outer Space.
Shotwell is aware of these challenges. But she said her work was on the cusp of such a great journey. Or at least try out the system's first orbital flight in the near future.
SpaceX has conducted several short-range test flights of spacecraft prototypes over the past year. But entering orbit is the next step in missile testing.
The private space company lost several models of interstellar spacecraft before reaching Earth in May.
In May this year, the company announced plans for the trip, which will start from the company's facility in Texas to the Hawaiian coast.
These spaceship models are approximately 160 feet high, the size of a 16-story building, and are made of stainless steel. This is the first version of the missile that Musk presented in 2019.
The extra-heavy booster that makes up the lower half of the rocket has a height of about 70 meters. The Starship and Super Heavy are nearly 400 feet high when assembled and launched.
SpaceX wants to test the Starship
The company is developing interstellar spaceships to launch cargo and people on missions to the Moon and Mars.
While SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Falcon Heavy are partially reusable, Musk's goal is to make the interstellar spacecraft fully reusable.
Musk envisions a missile similar to an airplane, with a short lead time between flights and the only major cost being fuel.
"I don't think people understand what this system does," Shotwell said. She noted that Musk felt it was very urgent to develop spaceships and find a permanent ability to get people to the moon and Mars.
"That means it's not one every two years," she added. We should be able to drive a dozen ships in a time that you can send people to Mars.