Elon Musk Reflects On SpaceX's Remarkable 4-Year Journey: Starhopper To Starship

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday reminisced about the last four years for his rocket manufacturing company from Starhopper to the upcoming second test flight of Starship.

What Happened: “Wow, 4 years,” Musk wrote. The CEO was responding to a space enthusiast on the social media platform X.com, formerly Twitter.

The user posted two pictures from 4 years ago at SpaceX’s Starbase. “Woah this is crazy! These pictures were taken 4 years ago today! I was out at SpaceX’s Starbase (simply Boca Chica at the time) to see Starhopper fly. Back then there was only the start of the windbreak, 2 small buildings & the start of the MK1 prototype! Wow how time flies!!,” the user wrote.

Starhopper was the first prototype for SpaceX’s Starship with one raptor engine. In August 2019, Starhopper flew for the last time, rising several hundred feet off the ground.

Why It Matters: Starship is a fully reusable transportation system expected to carry people and cargo to orbit, Moon and Mars. SpaceX attempted the first flight test of Starship on April 20 and the rocket exploded in less than four minutes after takeoff. 

In an interview with journalist and author Ashlee Vance on June 24, Musk estimated a 60% probability for the next flight to reach orbit, contingent on the success of stage separation. He then anticipated the second flight test to occur in six weeks. However, no target date has been announced to date.

Starship is key to realizing Musk’s dreams of making life “multi-planetary.” In 2020, he said that he would send a million people to Mars by 2050 aboard Starship. Responding to another user’s question on when landing on Mars would be possible, Musk said on Tuesday, “Great question. We need to get a move on with Starship!”

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