NASA: “No final decision has been made on timing.”
= The third ‘Starship’ launch test by US private space company SpaceX is expected to include a refueling test that was not included in the previous two flights.
According to Space.com on the 6th (local time), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Deputy Administrator Lakisha Hawkins said at a committee meeting of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on the 4th, “SpaceX recently launched its second Starship test launch. “We have completed our mission and are moving quickly toward our third mission, which will include a rocket propellant delivery demonstration.”
However, Hawkins did not discuss the plans or fuel injection tests in detail at the meeting. Afterwards, a NASA spokesperson explained through CNBC, “No final decision has been made on timing.”
Both NASA and SpaceX aim to establish manned outposts on the Moon and Mars. In this process, transporting fuel to send rockets and spacecraft to their destinations is a key element.
Rockets and spacecraft consume most of their fuel to escape the Earth’s gravity, so they must resupply the fuel needed to reach their destination after reaching outer space.
Starship’s refueling tests have been conducted previously. NASA invested $53 million (about 70 billion won) in SpaceX to conduct a refueling experiment in Earth’s orbit in October 2020. Accordingly, Starship will be equipped with a liquid oxygen tank weighing approximately 11 tons.
NASA is very interested in the development of Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation deep space transportation system. NASA has selected Starship as the first manned lunar lander for the ‘Artemis Project’, which aims to establish a permanent and sustainable human habitat on and around the moon by 2030.
If all goes as planned, Starship will send astronauts to the Moon’s South Pole for the first time in late 2025 or 2026 through the ‘Artemis 3’ mission.
To date, Starship’s test launches have been conducted twice, in April and November. Both launches aimed to launch the spacecraft from SpaceX’s Starbase launch pad in southern Texas, USA, circle the Earth and land in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, but failed.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.