On September 11, Spacenews reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made another shock plan at the "All-in Summit": He claimed that the "Starship" 3.0 version will be for the first time next year and is expected to achieve full recovery of the super heavy booster and spacecraft for the first time, and at the same time, sending more than 100 tons of payload into orbit.
This remark quickly sparked heated discussion in the aerospace circle - after all, just this year, the Starship 2.0 version experienced three mission interruptions, and it was not until the fourth test flight at the end of August that Musk was rated as "roughly successful." Now he not only previewed that the 2.0 version will also be launched this year, but also directly launched the 3.0 version of the "completely redesigned" and said that it will be equipped with a third-generation Raptor engine, "changed in almost all aspects."
There are risks behind the leap in technology. Musk himself admitted that the new version "may have a running-in problem in the early stage." You should know that achieving complete reusable rockets is a problem that the global aerospace industry has not been able to break through for a long time, especially super heavy delivery systems like Starships, which involve extremely difficult technologies such as reentry heat control, landing accuracy, and repeated engine ignition.
Although SpaceX has accumulated a lot of experience in the recovery of the Falcon 9 rocket, the scale and technical complexity of the Starship are not on the same order of magnitude at all. An industry engineer analyzed: "If the annual capacity of 100 tons can be achieved and recyclable, the cost of satellite launch, deep space exploration and even Mars missions will be reduced sharply."
However, some experts also remind you to look at Musk's "timetable". He has made optimistic predictions many times in the past but ultimately postponed, such as the first flight of the manned Dragon spacecraft and the first orbital test of the starship, which were several years later than the original plan.
If Musk did not "stop" this time, what industry would you think the "Starship" successfully recovered and achieved a capacity of 100 tons, which industry would be the first to subvert? Satellite Internet, lunar base, or Mars immigration?
(The information in this article comes from Spacenews, Elon Musk's speech at "All-in Summit" and SpaceX's official flight test records)
