https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-b1802376.html
SPACEX STARSHIP SN10 LAUNCH THIS WEEK HAS ‘60% CHANCE OF LANDING’, SAYS ELON MUSK
SpaceX will perform a major flight test of its latest
Starship prototype this week after the previous two ended in fiery explosions.
The Starship SN10 will launch from SpaceX’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, after improvements were made to its landing abilities.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said these upgrades would give Starship a 60 per cent chance of landing successfully......
The latest test comes just two weeks after the Starship SN9 test, and less than 10 weeks after the SN8 test.
The rapid test rate comes after Mr Musk told SpaceX employees to prioritise development of the Mars-bound craft ahead of other missions like Starlink.
SpaceX is yet to announce the exact time and date of the Starship SN10 flight test but previous launches have been beset by weather and FAA delays.
Road closures in
Cameron County are yet to be put in place, as SpaceX first needs to complete a static fire test of the Raptor rocket engines.
Starship SN11 is already in development, as well as future prototypes up to at least SN18, according to Nasa Space Flight.
If the tests prove to be successful, and funding is no issue, then SpaceX could manufacture “100 Starships per year” over the next decade to create a 1,000-strong fleet of the next-generation rockets.