Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has expressed his confidence that the Starship V3 rocket will achieve full reusability. This comes as the company shifts its focus towards lunar missions, with the goal of sending an uncrewed mission to the Moon’s surface by 2027.
Starship Will Achieve Full Reusability
Musk shared his thoughts on the social media platform X, stating that he is “highly confident” in the V3 design’s ability to achieve full reusability. The Starship V3 is currently headed for ground tests, marking a significant step towards realizing this goal.
Challenges and Limitations
However, Musk also noted that there are challenges to be addressed. SpaceX will only attempt to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low, emphasizing the need for caution and careful planning.
SpaceX’s Shift to the Moon
SpaceX has recently shifted its focus from Mars to lunar missions. The company aims to send an uncrewed mission to the Moon’s surface by 2027, with the goal of establishing a human presence on the Moon. Elon Musk has stated that the timelines for lunar missions are quicker than those for Mars-focused counterparts.
Factories on the Moon
Musk has also reaffirmed his goal of building factories on the Moon, predicting that Tesla will have factories on the Moon within 20 years. He has urged investors to hold on to Tesla stock, citing the company’s potential for growth and development.
Recent Developments
SpaceX recently acquired Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI, with the combined entity valued at $1.25 trillion. The company is planning an initial public offering (IPO) in June, with Elon Musk set to remain in control.
Orbital Datacenter Goals
SpaceX has been invited by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to discuss its orbital datacenter goals, which involve operating a fleet of over 1 million satellites. The company is seeking several waivers from the FCC, but its plans have been criticized by short seller Jim Chanos, who has called the orbital datacenter “AI Snake Oil.”
NASA’s Artemis II
NASA has rolled back the Artemis II launch vehicle from the launch platform at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida due to technical issues. The agency had previously targeted an early March launch for a Lunar flyby, but this has been delayed. SpaceX has outlined its capabilities, positioning Starship as the ideal vehicle to realize America’s Mars and Lunar goals.