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| SpaceX has an important update on its Starship rocket |
Elon Musk has announced plans to provide an update on SpaceX's massive Starship rocket next week. This will be the first modernization of the missile in nearly three years.
The billionaire businessman has tweeted that SpaceX is developing the Starship at its test facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
The spacecraft, which is bringing people back to the moon's surface, could one day take more than 100 people to Mars at once, with the first orbital flight planned for March.
Musk has been giving regular speeches since 2016 about his plan to build a giant rocket to send humans into space.
When asked via Twitter when the Starship Show will be, the SpaceX CEO answered: Next Thursday at 8 p.m. Texas time. No further details were provided about the accident.
In the last update of September 2019, Musk stood in front of a full prototype of the Starship in Boca Chica.
The Starship rocket is fully reusable and designed to be launched from a giant launch vehicle called the Super Heavy. The height of the built-in system is 120 meters.
So far, SpaceX has conducted several high-altitude test flights using the spacecraft. But it hasn't launched into orbit yet.
The company had hoped to do so in January. But it is currently waiting for FAA approval to launch the Starship into orbit around Boca Chica.
SpaceX unveils updates to its next-generation Starship missile
An FAA assessment examines the environmental impact of the original SpaceX mission file. It deals with debris recovery, local road closures in Boca Chica, where the launch site is located, and other issues.
The Starship program aims to develop vehicles to transport goods and people between planets to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The company plans to run several tests over the next few years. An FAA driver's permit or license is required for this launch.
Still, Musk appears headed for the FAA's schedule. But the billionaire wasn't always happy about acting.
A year ago, he took to Twitter to criticize the FAA's space launch rules, which had delayed SpaceX's launch of its Starship Serial Number 9 rocket.
"Unlike the Aeronautics Department, the FAA's Aerospace Division is essentially segmented in its organizational structure," Musk tweeted at the time.
"Space sector bases conduct several launches annually from certain government facilities." Under these rules, humans will never reach Mars.
While Musk voiced his complaint online, the FAA remained silent. But the space division said in January last year, "We will continue to work with SpaceX to resolve outstanding safety issues before accepting the next test flight."