Starship ready for launch, the rocket that aims to make humanity a multi-planetary species

Today, the largest rocket ever built, Starship, is expected to carry out a flight test after such an attempt failed on Monday 17 April.

Starship, a new rocket system from Elon Musk-owned SpaceX that could launch into space for the first time on Thursday, has been a very special project for years for the billionaire.

In Musk's vision, Starship is the vehicle that will one day take humans to the planet Mars and allow humans to become a multi-planetary species, The New York Times reports.

In the shorter term, a successful launch would extend SpaceX's dominance in the global spaceflight business.

The Starship is the most powerful of all that will reach space.

If Thursday's test is successful, Starship will reach orbit, years after Musk predicted it would.

In September 2019, he told people at a SpaceX event that the rocket would reach orbit "in less than six months." Last year, for example, he said Starship would reach orbit in 2022 and called it one of his "top 2 goals."

What do we know about the Starship rocket?

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket – collectively referred to as Starship – represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry crew and cargo into orbit around the Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tons of fully reusable payloads and 250 metric tons of expendable payloads, according to information provided on SpaceX's website.

The rocket is 120 meters long and its diameter is 9 meters.

Starship

Starship is the fully reusable spacecraft and the second stage of the Starship system. The spacecraft offers an integrated cargo section and is capable of transporting crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.

The Starship is 50 meters long and 9 meters in diameter.

Super Heavy System

The Super Heavy is the first stage, or booster, of the Starship's launch system. Powered by 33 Raptor engines using sub-cooled liquid methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX), the Super Heavy is fully reusable and will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere to return to the launch point.

The system has a length of 69 meters, and a diameter of 9 meters. /Telegraph/

Prepared by: Arigona Bytyçi