Elon Musk Plans Next Starship Launch Within Just 2 Months After Failed Debut

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday said that Starship could be ready to launch again in 1 to 2 months.

What Happened: Starship can be ready to launch again in 1 to 2 months post-repairs of damage at the Starbase launch site, said Elon Musk in a Twitter reply on Saturday. Musk was responding to Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at tech publication Ars Technica.

Berger noted in his tweet that a former senior SpaceX employee told him that the damage at Starbase in Boca Chica following the first launch test of Starship can be repaired and a flame diverter installed in 4 to 6 months.

Musk responded to the tweet by saying that SpaceX commenced the construction of a water-cooled steel plate to go under the launch mount three months ago. However, it wasn’t ready in time, making SpaceX rely on Fondag, which it thought would make it through one launch.

“Looks like we can be ready to launch again in 1 to 2 months,” Musk said while noting that the damage is still “early in analysis”. The force of the engines might have shattered the concrete instead of merely eroding it, Musk added.

SpaceX conducted the first test launch of Starship on Thursday. The rocket exploded in less than four minutes after take-off, damaging the launch pad at Starbase.

However, SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk has termed the test a success.
Touted to be “the biggest rocket ever“, Starship is a fully reusable transportation system aimed at carrying crew and cargo to "Earth's orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond."

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Image: Created with artificial intelligence on MidJourney and Official SpaceX Photos on Flickr