25 votes

SpaceX's Starship completes successful test flight after a year of mishaps

11 comments

  1. babypuncher
    Link
    It's a shame Elon's continued involvement in SpaceX completely obliterates any amount of excitement I have about this stuff. I hope the next one explodes.

    It's a shame Elon's continued involvement in SpaceX completely obliterates any amount of excitement I have about this stuff. I hope the next one explodes.

    18 votes
  2. [2]
    plutonic
    Link
    They really needed this win, really great test flight this time! Very exciting to watch. Say what you want about Elon, I am a serious space geek and have been since childhood and this stuff is...

    They really needed this win, really great test flight this time! Very exciting to watch. Say what you want about Elon, I am a serious space geek and have been since childhood and this stuff is just amazing to watch!

    13 votes
    1. fraughtGYRE
      Link Parent
      Unbelievable how much punishment the upper stage took yet made it ll the way to flip and landing burn. Great result.

      Unbelievable how much punishment the upper stage took yet made it ll the way to flip and landing burn. Great result.

      8 votes
  3. [8]
    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    They sure were selling Starlink hard in this livestream -- more than usual, I think. That aside, this thing is just an epic machine that they've built, never gets old watching it fly ... watching...

    They sure were selling Starlink hard in this livestream -- more than usual, I think.

    That aside, this thing is just an epic machine that they've built, never gets old watching it fly ... watching rockets the size of Montana flying backwards ... watching Starship fly halfway around the world, survive a brutal re-entry, and then land 100m from the camera where they expected it to land, etc.

    Still, my biggest takeaway from the live feed ... they are seriously planning on launching multiple Starships to Mars next year already -- no mission beyond "can we get there and what happens if we try to land", but still. Then, they're still aiming for a second fleet in the 2028 launch window to actually land with a bunch of "real Mars colony" gear and robots and stuff, and try to prepare an area for manned landings in the 2031 window.

    Until they can fully refuel one of these things in orbit, it's still just a pipe dream ... but even a somewhat more realistic timeline has them potentially landing humans on Mars by the mid-2030s.

    10 votes
    1. [4]
      skybrian
      Link Parent
      Musk's predictions about what will happen next year shouldn't be taken seriously. It's largely a way of getting his people to move faster.

      Musk's predictions about what will happen next year shouldn't be taken seriously. It's largely a way of getting his people to move faster.

      14 votes
      1. [3]
        Eric_the_Cerise
        Link Parent
        I don't think this is Musk. When he spouts off on his Twitter feed, that's one thing. This is SpaceX official plans, which means Gwynne is at least not actively vetoing the timeline.

        I don't think this is Musk. When he spouts off on his Twitter feed, that's one thing. This is SpaceX official plans, which means Gwynne is at least not actively vetoing the timeline.

        7 votes
        1. Eji1700
          Link Parent
          That's fine, but physics says it's not happening.

          That's fine, but physics says it's not happening.

          8 votes
        2. mild_takes
          Link Parent
          She has spouted some serious nonsense before as well. I can't find it right now but she was saying they were going to do starship for point to point travel.

          She has spouted some serious nonsense before as well. I can't find it right now but she was saying they were going to do starship for point to point travel.

          1 vote
    2. [3]
      babypuncher
      Link Parent
      Full self driving is also only 6 months away, we promise!

      Full self driving is also only 6 months away, we promise!

      10 votes
      1. [2]
        Eric_the_Cerise
        Link Parent
        SpaceX has actually had fully autonomous driving capability for several years now. Perhaps you are confusing them with some other company?

        SpaceX has actually had fully autonomous driving capability for several years now. Perhaps you are confusing them with some other company?

        4 votes
        1. babypuncher
          Link Parent
          Rockets don't "drive", they fly. Of course I was talking about Tesla.

          Rockets don't "drive", they fly. Of course I was talking about Tesla.

          4 votes