SpaceX founder Elon Musk has shared interesting tidbits on Twitter a time or two, and this time he’s sharing valuable information about the Starship SN9’s landing procedures, or the next rocket planned for takeoff.
After a successful aerial flip maneuver with the SN8, fans are praising Musk for his rocket company. And yet, Musk seems to think there’s still a ways to go.
In a response on Twitter, Musk told a fan that “production is hard, prototypes are easy,” in reference to a switch to using helium in the new rocket. The original poster said that would have been a two-year switch for traditional aeronautics companies, and, true or not, Musk certainly has his eyes on the prize for SpaceX.
Production is hard, prototypes are easy. Building ~1000 Starships to create a self-sustaining city on Mars is our mission.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2020
Earlier in the thread, Musk is also asked about an animation made by a fellow fan, depicting a potential landing sequence for the SN9, and asking Musk if it looked correct. Upon responding, Musk shared that SpaceX hopes to catch the rocket’s Super Heavy Booster with the launch tower arm, a difficult feat, to be sure, but an impressive one at that.
We’re going to try to catch the Super Heavy Booster with the launch tower arm, using the grid fins to take the load
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2020
Ultimately, Musk shares that landing a single prototype rocket isn’t the same as SpaceX’s goal – to build about 1,000 Starships which can help create a self-sustaining city on Mars. While the goal is certainly a ways off, the SpaceX team is working hard creating models, trying out maneuvers and different chemical uses, and, inevitably, shooting for the moon and someday Mars.
