SpaceX’s mammoth Starship rocket blasted off on another test flight, this time carrying 20 of the most advanced Starlinks. The rocket soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas, with NASA monitoring the flight as a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.
Testing the Starship
The latest test flight was delayed first by a launch abort, then again by thick clouds from Tropical Storm Bertha. The Starship rocket is also the vehicle with which Elon Musk intends to build a city on Mars, with tourist trips to Mars and the moon already being booked.
The Starlinks had a job to do before reentering over the Indian Ocean, extending their solar wings and antennas, and attempting to communicate via lasers with older Starlink models already in orbit. With more than 10,000 Starlinks currently providing internet, SpaceX boasts the world’s largest satellite constellation.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
