The student media website of Minnehaha Academy Upper School

Shooting for Mars

By Elsa Johnson

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Briefs | Talon

SpaceX has partially successful launch as the company makes steps toward interplanetary travel

On December 8, 2020 in Cameron County, Texas, the SpaceX Starship SN8 successfully “ascended, transitioned propellant, and performed its landing flip maneuver with precise flap control to reach its landing point” before exploding upon landing due to pressure issues. The Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket (Starship) is a new reusable rocket designed to carry both crew and cargo on future missions. It will be able to deliver satellites to Earth’s orbit, transport crew and cargo to and from the International Space Station and the moon. Eventually, the Starship is even expected to support interplanetary travel to Mars. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is confident that with the release of Starship, people will be traveling to Mars by 2026 or as early as 2024. 

The rocket is, as of now, the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever created.

 

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