Elon Musk is dying to test his new toy again, the Starship , the largest and most powerful mega-rocket ever built by humanity. Although the first orbital flight test ended in explosion just minutes after takeoff, the creator and owner of SpaceX, in addition to congratulating the team , already announced that we would not have to wait too long to see a similar test again. Musk has been more specific these days, and through his own social network, Twitter, he stated that the company could be ready for takeoff "in a month or two." However, experts disagree with Musk's optimism. And not because they think the new rocket will not be ready (only remains of the SN24 prototype that was used in the test last Thursday were scattered across the Atlantic Ocean); but because the launch pad in Boca Chica (Texas, USA) has been left in shambles, with debris everywhere and a huge crater caused by the thirty Raptor engines that worked simultaneously to lift it to 39 kilometers above the surface, before self-destructing after being unable to separate its two stages, as planned. Related News standard Yes From the 'space coffee pot' to the only prototype that survived landing: half of Elon Musk's ships ended up in flames P. Biosca Rockets began to be tested in 2019, although few have taken off successfully Although SpaceX has not yet published photos after the launch of the platform, different images have been distributed by different photographers and have spread like wildfire through social networks, especially that of Musk. AFP published some photographs in which the damage to the facilities could be seen from afar, with fallen or damaged cranes. SpaceX's Boca Chica facility after the launch AFP The account of the specialized media in the aerospace sector Spacefligt Now echoed several snapshots in which dozens of small pieces could be seen detached from both the launch facilities and the rocket, in addition to safety cones distributed chaotically on the ground. Code Desktop Here's a look at the debris-strewn launch pad at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas following this morning's Starship test flight.
The launch of the world's largest rocket also left a large crater in the concrete under the launch mount.
📷: @LabPadre https://t.co/4Qlst35wgT pic.twitter.com/rIS3LVkPTY— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow)
April 20, 2023
Image for mobile, amp and app Mobile code Here's a look at the debris-strewn launch pad at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas following this morning's Starship test flight.
The launch of the world's largest rocket also left a large crater in the concrete under the launch mount.
📷: @LabPadre https://t.co/4Qlst35wgT pic.twitter.com/rIS3LVkPTY— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow)
April 20, 2023
AMP Code Here's a look at the debris-strewn launch pad at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas following this morning's Starship test flight.
The launch of the world's largest rocket also left a large crater in the concrete under the launch mount.
📷: @LabPadre https://t.co/4Qlst35wgT pic.twitter.com/rIS3LVkPTY— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow)
April 20, 2023
APP Code Here's a look at the debris-strewn launch pad at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas following this morning's Starship test flight.
The launch of the world's largest rocket also left a large crater in the concrete under the launch mount.
📷: @LabPadre https://t.co/4Qlst35wgT pic.twitter.com/rIS3LVkPTY— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow)
April 20, 2023
NASA photographer Max Evans posted a Twitter thread that also shows some of the damage to the launch tower and surrounding containers. "Hard to imagine this site being usable again in less than 12 months; I'd be happy to be wrong," Evans wrote in one of the tweets. Desktop Safe Code to say that Stage 0 is...toasty.
The same can be said for the rest of the structure and surrounding GSE.
Key notes are: OLM still venting & tank farm has taken significant damage pic.twitter.com/PMFqh3OFGA— Max Evans (@_mgde_)
April 21, 2023
Mobile image, amp and app Mobile code Safe to say that Stage 0 is…toasty.
The same can be said for the rest of the structure and surrounding GSE.
Key notes are: OLM still venting & tank farm has taken significant damage pic.twitter.com/PMFqh3OFGA— Max Evans (@_mgde_)
April 21, 2023
AMP Code Safe to say that Stage 0 is…toasty.
The same can be said for the rest of the structure and surrounding GSE.
Key notes are: OLM still venting & tank farm has taken significant damage pic.twitter.com/PMFqh3OFGA— Max Evans (@_mgde_)
April 21, 2023
APP Code Safe to say that Stage 0 is…toasty.
The same can be said for the rest of the structure and surrounding GSE.
Key notes are: OLM still venting & tank farm has taken significant damage pic.twitter.com/PMFqh3OFGA— Max Evans (@_mgde_)
April 21, 2023
Another voice speaking out on social media is that of Jonathan Goff, an engineer and entrepreneur and founder of companies such as Masten Space Systems and Altius Space Systems. "I think with the damage to the pad and the need to rework the launch infrastructure, we're probably at least 7 to 9 months away from our next SS/SH (the two stages of the rocket: Starship and Super Heavy) flight of any kind," Goff tweeted. News regarding new launches: Musk also explained via Twitter that before last Thursday's launch, the company began constructing a huge water-cooled steel plate to place directly beneath the launch pad to prevent further damage. However, it wasn't finished in time, although it was decided to go ahead with the takeoff. Space.com reports that this element may be present in the next test, so engineers will have additional work in the coming weeks to add to the analysis of data from Thursday's test. This isn't the first time Elon Musk has been overly optimistic about the dates of his achievements. For example, at the end of 2020, he stated that he was "very confident" that his company could be making trips to Mars "with a bit of luck" next year, if he opened the time frame up to 2026, a highly unlikely date, according to most experts, since there are still significant problems such as surviving a multi-year mission when the longest humans have spent in space is one year on the International Space Station. MORE INFORMATION news No Surprise: Uranus could also have oceanic moons news No Are you able to solve the Juanola pill problem? He also assured that his controversial Neuralink neural chip, which Musk claims will restore mobility to damaged or amputated limbs and even restore vision to people who have been blind since birth, would begin human trials in the middle of this year (although he made the same announcement a year earlier). In the coming months, we'll see if he can deliver on his promise regarding Starship.