SpaceX on Target for Mars
Starhopper Rocket Prototype Passes Highest & Final Test Source: Space X Next: On to Orbital Prototypes for 2021 Launch Another big victory for SpaceX. Starhopper, its Starship vehicle designed to colonize Mars, passed with flying colors its final test flight. On its own, the vehicle was launched and rose several hundred feet into the air above the company's facility in south Texas. Once it reached the targeted height, it flew sideways and then smoothly landed on a different pad at the SpaceX facility. The test took 57 seconds and it was a big success. The ceiling set by the FAA for test flights is 500 feet. Two New Starship Prototypes Starship Starhopper now hands the baton over to two orbital prototypes - Starship Mk1 and Starship Mk2. Both are powered by at least three Raptor, next generation engines that SpaceX is developing. Tests on these prototypes will result in the operational Starship and flights beginning in 2021....