New Delhi: Elon Musk had dreamed of sending humans to the Moon and Mars and is working tirelessly to make it a reality. Meanwhile, Musk’s company SpaceX is preparing to do a big feat today. SpaceX’s rocket made its first test flight today (Thursday) and shortly after the rocket exploded. Elon Musk’s company was aiming to send the roughly 400-foot (120 m) Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border to circumnavigate the world. No person was present in it. Crowds of spectators were seen from the South Island, several miles from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was out of bounds.
NASA chief Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX, saying “Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward”.
SpaceX’s 33 powerful Raptor engines
NASA selected Starship to use lunar lander astronauts on the Artemis 3 mission in 2025. It is the tallest rocket ever. 395 feet high. It is about 90 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty. The maximum number of engines has also been installed in this rocket booster. Below is placed a Super Heavy, which was capable of carrying the upper Starship vehicle into orbit.
It has 33 powerful Raptor engines SpaceX. It will generate 16 million pounds of thrust, more than the Saturn V that carried the Apollo astronauts to the Moon.
