Starship will be used for suborbital passenger flights
The promising superheavy rocket Starship and Super Heavy, which has been developed by SpaceX Corporation for several years, can become a “universal” device, designed not only for long-distance space flights. Back in 2017, the manufacturer announced another use of his brainchild, quite unusual for such devices.
The company proposed using a rocket for fast flights from remote parts of the Earth. It was understood that both steps would participate in the process. The first (Super Heavy) after takeoff will disconnect and board the spaceport or offshore platform. The second (Starship), in turn, will deliver passengers to their destination and will also make a soft landing on a prepared surface site. From there, tourists can quickly reach land by high-speed vessels.
However, on May 30 of this year, the head of the corporation, Ilon Musk, tweeted about the company's new plans for passenger flights. The updated concept involves the use of only the second stage of Starship, which in combination is a spaceship.
The functionary noted that with the addition of 2-4 Raptor engines (there are 6 of them in the current configuration), the device will be able to make suborbital flights at a distance of up to 10 km, developing a maximum speed of up to 000 Machs. Musk believes that this idea will greatly simplify the concept as a whole and will reduce the cost of flights.
It is worth noting that no matter how attractive the “idea” of SpaceX may look, the corporation may have to face serious competition. After all, supersonic aviation, which is currently under development by several companies, unlike Starship, does not imply a transfer to a ship and an additional "trip" by water.
The company proposed using a rocket for fast flights from remote parts of the Earth. It was understood that both steps would participate in the process. The first (Super Heavy) after takeoff will disconnect and board the spaceport or offshore platform. The second (Starship), in turn, will deliver passengers to their destination and will also make a soft landing on a prepared surface site. From there, tourists can quickly reach land by high-speed vessels.
However, on May 30 of this year, the head of the corporation, Ilon Musk, tweeted about the company's new plans for passenger flights. The updated concept involves the use of only the second stage of Starship, which in combination is a spaceship.
The functionary noted that with the addition of 2-4 Raptor engines (there are 6 of them in the current configuration), the device will be able to make suborbital flights at a distance of up to 10 km, developing a maximum speed of up to 000 Machs. Musk believes that this idea will greatly simplify the concept as a whole and will reduce the cost of flights.
It is worth noting that no matter how attractive the “idea” of SpaceX may look, the corporation may have to face serious competition. After all, supersonic aviation, which is currently under development by several companies, unlike Starship, does not imply a transfer to a ship and an additional "trip" by water.
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