SpaceX is set to conduct its 11th flight test for its Starship program on Monday, October 13, aiming to build on its successful August flight that marked the first time the vehicle completed all its primary mission goals. The stainless steel Starship and Super Heavy booster will launch from SpaceX’s Starbase in South Texas, with no astronauts on board.
Experts praise the company’s progress, citing the Falcon 9 rocket’s reliability and reusability as a benchmark for success. However, they emphasize that SpaceX must demonstrate its ability to build upon its August success by achieving new mission objectives. The company’s goal is to land the Starship safely, recover it, and use retro propulsion on a fixed platform.
Despite several setbacks and explosions during test flights, CEO Elon Musk has maintained that learning from failures is crucial to SpaceX’s engineering process. Experts like Greg Autry, NASA’s chief financial officer nominee, believe that competition in space exploration will push American efforts forward, ultimately benefiting the country’s economy and society.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/spacex-2-successful-starship-missions-row-mondays-launch/story?id=126373880