SpaceX is doing its best to develop a large Falcon rocket that can fly to Mars. The structure consists of the first super-heavy rocket and the second Starship rocket. The Starship rocket prototype Starhopper has successfully completed the last test, and the test flight altitude is reached. 150 meters. In the end, the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy rocket will be replaced by a large Falcon rocket to perform various tasks.
Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) is the next-generation launch vehicle and spacecraft developed by SpaceX. The main structure includes reusable new launch vehicles, spacecraft, and new rocket engines. The Great Falcon rocket will eventually replace the already powerful Falcon 9 rocket, Falcon heavy-duty launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, and gradually expand from Earth orbit to Earth orbit, space travel, Mars orbit mission, and Interstellar missions, etc.
In addition to the Big Falcon Rocket, SpaceX is actively developing a new low-temperature methane fuel rocket engine called Raptor, which is different from the kerosene/liquid oxygen propellant currently used in the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Liquid methane and liquid oxygen are propellants that will be used in the first Falcon's first Super Heavy rocket and the second Starship rocket.
However, there is still a long way to go before the big Falcon rockets are actually launched. At 17:02 local time on August 27th, the Starship rocket prototype Starhopper with a raptor rocket engine, including Musk himself, was dubbed the "Flying Water Tower", just finished the second and last suspension. The test was stopped, flying 150 meters, and then moved laterally by about 100 meters under the control of a single raptor rocket engine. It is expected to control the landing zone to drop and complete the landing.
At the press conference for the launch of the new SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on February 6th, Musk mentioned the company's desire to test with the BFR ship. "If you are lucky, we will be able to start using the BFR boat to test short-distance flights next year," Ilon said. Obviously, this will be a follower of “蚱”, the test itself will pass in South Texas, or pass between the ship and the ship. Next month, Musk further mentioned the evolution of BFR.
Starhopper completes its testing mission, and SpaceX will test a larger rocket prototype, hoping to develop a reusable final version of the Big Falcon Rocket in the next few years - this stainless steel rocket can reach 40 floors and a total of 41 Raptor rocket engine (35 super-heavy rockets, 6 Starship rockets).
Of course, the rapid progress of SpaceX may cause NASA to squeeze a cold sweat. After all, NASA spent about 230 million US dollars to refurbish the B-2 testbed of Green Run in the core stage of the SLS rocket. The SLS rocket has been developed since 2011. Billion dollars, but the first test of the SLS rocket may have to wait until next year; by contrast, SpaceX's Starship program has been developing steadily, Starhopper started construction in mid-December 2018, and the first test flight took place in July this year, followed by This time, the test flight was twice.
At the speed of SpaceX, maybe we have a chance to see the lunar business mission flourish in the next 10 years.
There are still some problems, such as returning the spacecraft back to Mars and returning, funding BFR, and some of the controversial points in the current design. The plan and concept of how to build a fuel production plant on Mars, the process of building the first base, and the nuclear reactor that SpaceX used to feed the colonies were not disclosed. The problem is also that the BFR spacecraft lacks an emergency launch system, how uncontrolled landing support bars and life support systems on Mars will work.
The Starlink system will actually fund BFR, or it will lead to another financial problem, just like the only global satellite phone service, Iridium. The success of creating Starlink is far from guaranteed, not to mention BFR. Will, the US government provide funding for the development of 100 local vessels without an emergency launch system? Can the ship minimize the radiation to passengers as required by NASA? How will the colonists survive on Mars? If the current major solar resources are insufficient, does SpaceX plan to launch a nuclear reactor on Mars to provide some of the original colonial energy needs?