SpaceX eyes new launch site for Mars-bound Starship rocket

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A new launch site for SpaceX’s Starship has been proposed as a part of chief government Elon Musk’s plans to ramp up the launch schedule of the Mars-bound rocket.

Measuring roughly 120 metres when totally stacked, Starship is the largest rocket ever constructed, able to delivering a payload of round 100,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit.

SpaceX presently develops and launches Starship prototypes at its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, although the corporate’s ambition is to determine a world community of launchpads to facilitate interplanetary journey.

The US Department of the Air Force detailed the proposed motion for the new site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a new web site, revealing that SpaceX is hoping to take over the SLC-37 launchpad.

The historic launchpad was constructed within the Sixties and was first used for the Saturn 1 and 1B rockets, which helped ship astronauts to the Moon. At the time, they had been the largest rockets ever constructed.

“SpaceX would modify, reuse, or demolish the existing SLC-37 infrastructure to support Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations,” the proposal states.

Plans for one other Starship launchpad on the Starbase site are additionally in improvement, with Mr Musk revealing final month {that a} newly designed launch tower with “robot chopsticks” would permit them to catch the booster rocket after delivering the higher stage into orbit.

“We’re really going to be launching a lot,” the SpaceX boss stated at a SpaceX occasion. “We’re going to be upgrading one tower while we’re launching from another tower, so two towers is important.”

In 2021, Mr Musk revealed that SpaceX can be planning to convert disused oil rigs into launch platforms for Starship.

Work is already underway to convert two offshore oil rigs, renamed Deimos and Phoibos after the 2 moons of Mars.

SpaceX can be getting ready for the third main Starship launch, which is able to goal to ship an uncrewed rocket from Texas to Hawaii in a 90-minute flight round Earth.

Two earlier makes an attempt each resulted in fiery explosions shortly after elevate off. No date has but been set for the third try.