Starship is about to be tested again, why are experts worried!

August 23 (US time) CNN published an article in the US.

SpaceX said it plans to conduct a test flight of the giant rocket around 7:30 PM on the 24th (4:30 AM Beijing time the next morning).

But the launch time may also change.

The Starship prototype will follow a flight plan similar to the previous three missions and aims to complete the test objectives that were not completed in those tests.

But since its debut, the vehicle has exploded multiple times.

These setbacks have stirred up long-term critics of SpaceX and attracted new critics, including the Mexican government, which threatened to take legal action against the company over reported debris issues along its coast and surrounding areas.

This string of accidents this year has also raised concerns among aerospace experts and stakeholders, who emphasize that the United States has a lot at stake with Starship, including its plan to send humans back to the Moon in 2027.

"It's hard to predict how this will end," said Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut and professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Southern California.

"I think it may never work ultimately, or it could completely change our future space activities—and geopolitics," he added, referring to the U.S. goal of showcasing technological superiority over China in the new space race.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has revealed a larger and more ambitious vehicle iteration plan, which will be longer and carry more propellant.

It is now clear that SpaceX will push forward with the upgraded version of Starship—this one is already more than twice as powerful as the NASA rockets that propelled Apollo moon landings—regardless of whether the current series of Starship prototypes successfully complete their test flights.

"Upgrades might solve the current problems," Reisman said. "But they might also introduce new ones—you never know."

Meanwhile, the stakes for each Starship test flight seem to be increasing, as SpaceX is racing against time.

Not only does Musk hope to send one of the spacecraft unmanned to Mars by the next opportunity in 2026, but NASA also plans to send astronauts to the lunar surface as part of a $2.9 billion contract around mid-2027.

"SpaceX is taking a survival gamble on Starship," Reisman added, expressing his concern about SpaceX's progress on Starship. "They are investing a lot of money and resources into its development... but in the end, financial physics still apply."

This mission, the company will not attempt its dramatic super-heavy "chopsticks" landing again, instead, it will conduct a series of tests on the booster to push it to its limits "to collect real-world performance data."

At the same time, the upper Starship spacecraft, designed to one day transport cargo or escort astronauts, will only carry fake satellites in this mission and continue flying in space.

SpaceX's development approach, although often seen as risky and bold, has been very beneficial for the company in the past.

The company's rockets rarely fail after transitioning from the development phase to the operational phase, and the human spaceflight record using Falcon 9 rockets has remained perfect.

If Starship eventually succeeds, Reiman said, it would not only benefit SpaceX—let alone NASA—it would bring huge benefits.

"The entire space industry is counting on the success of Starship, because if it fulfills its promise, it will also be a revolution in affordability," Reimans said.

"I think there are reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic—I think it's hard to predict how this will end."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841287544208391/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.