SpaceX will soon launch and land its giant Mars spaceship

[Zorro]

SpaceX’s long-stated plans to reach the Red Planet could take a big step forward as early as February with a so-called “hopper test” of the company’s Mars spaceship prototype.

During next month’s test, the prototype will launch and briefly go up in the air before coming back down to Earth, Chief Executive Elon Musk revealed last week. But in line with typical Musk timelines, he gave himself a buffer, tweeting Saturday that four weeks “probably means eight weeks, due to unforeseen issues.”

Formerly known as BFR, the test spaceship is being assembled in south Texas, about 23 miles east of Brownsville. The vehicle is now called Starship and is intended to launch on top of a massive rocket booster called Super Heavy. The company plans to build the Super Heavy booster and production versions of the Starship at a 19-acre site at the Port of Los Angeles.

Musk has not been shy about the company’s goal of making humans into a multi-planetary species to protect against any potential extinction on Earth. But SpaceX’s current revenue streams are decidedly more terrestrial in nature — satellite launches for commercial and government customers and supply runs for NASA to the International Space Station.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-mars-starship-20190109-story.html

[brooklynite]

1. Tesla hatchback?

[TheBlackAdder]

2. Good, they can finally see if that Child Sex Colony, that RWers talk about is there :-D

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Oh, they'll just say that Tesla is in on it.

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[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. wait, wut? there's a pizzeria with basement on mars?

[Vinca]

4. Since it's "giant," is there any chance we can convince Don this would be the greatest trip ever?