SpaceX’s Starship rocket is expected to arrive on the Space Coast, possibly by the end of this year, with CEO Elon Musk expressing ambitious goals for the project. During the company’s earnings call, Musk stated that Starship is tentatively scheduled to make its first attempt at reaching orbit by the end of August.
Launch Frequency
Musk said, ‘We expect the cadence of flights to be increasing rapidly. Probably a year from now, we’ll be doing at least one flight a day, possibly more.’ Don Platt, director of Spaceport Education at Florida Tech, expressed skepticism about this goal, suggesting that one launch a week would be more realistic.
Platt noted that NASA may want SpaceX to focus on preparing a Starship for the Artemis III mission before pursuing such an aggressive launch schedule. Musk mentioned that two recent test flights achieved their primary objectives, with a total of 13 test flights conducted in Texas.
The Space Coast is becoming increasingly crowded with commercial launch companies, and Platt expects many people to seek access to space from the area in the coming year. Musk has also stated his intention to send people to Mars by 2028, which Platt views as an ambitious plan that may not be realistic.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
