In a major update for the Starship program given this month, SpaceX chief Elon Musk revealed the firm's plans for future rockets, the fourth test flight, Starship test objectives for 2024 and SpaceX's plan to establish a self sustaining society on Mars. SpaceX's third Starship test took to the skies last month, and after it successfully fired the fourth test flight's booster's engines in Texas earlier this week, Musk outlined in his presentation that key test objectives for 2024 will see SpaceX try to catch the first stage at the launch tower.

在本月發布的Starship 計劃的重大更新中，SpaceX 執行長馬斯克透露了該公司未來火箭的計劃、第四次試飛、2024 年Starship 測試目標以及SpaceX 在火星上建立一個自給自足的社會的計劃。 SpaceX 的第三次星際飛船測試上個月升空，本週早些時候在德克薩斯州成功啟動了第四次試飛的助推器發動機後，馬斯克在演講中概述了SpaceX 2024 年的關鍵測試目標將努力趕上第一階段的目標。發射塔。

He added that missions to Mars should take six re fueling flights to load the second Starship rocket with enough fuel, and SpaceX will try to catch its rockets as soon as it is comfortable 'landing' or crashing them in virtual towers in the ocean.

他補充說，前往火星的任務應該進行六次加油飛行，為第二艘星艦火箭裝載足夠的燃料，一旦火箭能夠舒適地「著陸」或將其撞入海洋中的虛擬塔中，SpaceX 將盡力捕獲它們。

SpaceX Likely To Reuse Second Stage Starship In 2025 Says Musk

Musk's latest Starship talk marked a rare presentation where he dived into some details of what his company plans to do once it reaches Mars. Specifically, he outlined that landing sites on Mars must be as low as possible in elevation terms to provide Starship with sufficient atmosphere to slow itself down. They will also need to be located close to the Martian equator due to the need for ample sunlight to power up the Mars camp.

馬斯克稱 SpaceX 可能會在 2025 年重複使用第二級星際飛船 馬斯克最新的星際飛船演講是一次罕見的演講，他深入探討了公司計劃在抵達火星後做什麼的一些細節。具體來說，他概述了火星著陸點的海拔高度必須盡可能低，以便為星際飛船提供足夠的大氣層以減慢自身速度。由於需要充足的陽光來為火星營地供電，因此它們也需要位於火星赤道附近。

For now, SpaceX should test the full Starship stack for the fourth time next month. According to Musk, key test objectives will see teams try to 'land' Starship on the ocean as if there was a virtual launch tower present. If the rockets can successfully orient themselves, then the next step will be to bring them back to Boca Chica, Texas, to be caught by the launch tower.

目前，SpaceX 應該在下個月第四次測試完整的 Starship 堆疊。據馬斯克稱，關鍵的測試目標是團隊嘗試將星際飛船「降落」在海上，就像存在虛擬發射塔一樣。如果火箭能夠成功定位自己，那麼下一步將是將它們帶回德克薩斯州的博卡奇卡，並被發射塔捕獲。

The SpaceX executive revealed that for the Super Heavy booster, the subsequent test flight following a successful virtual catch will see a return to the tower. In contrast, SpaceX will test the second stage Starship twice before making a similar attempt.

這位 SpaceX 高層透露，對於超重型助推器，成功進行虛擬捕獲後的後續試飛將返回塔樓。相比之下，SpaceX 在進行類似嘗試之前將對第二級星際飛船進行兩次測試。

He believes that there's an 80% to 90% chance that the booster will be recovered this year while recovering and re-using the ship will take longer since it will require "at least two consecutive successes of a given design that land them at a specific point in the ocean, or smash into a specific point in the ocean," before SpaceX tries to bring it back to the launch site to prevent excessive debris.

他認為今年有80% 到90% 的機會回收助推器，而回收和重新使用這艘船將需要更長的時間，因為它需要「給定設計至少連續兩次成功，使它們降落在特定的位置」。 ”，然後 SpaceX 嘗試將其帶回發射場以防止產生過多碎片。

Since catching the rocket at the tower carries the risk of destroying the tower, SpaceX is building new towers. Two towers will be built in Florida and an additional one in Texas to ensure that testing cadence remains uninterrupted in case of accidents. Operational Starship launches should take place in Florida, and SpaceX plans to build six boosters this year, with all towers being built by next year.

由於在塔上捕獲火箭存在摧毀塔的風險，因此 SpaceX 正在建造新的塔。佛羅裡達州將建造兩座塔，德克薩斯州將建造另一座塔，以確保在發生事故時測試節奏不會中斷。星際飛船的發射應該在佛羅裡達州進行，SpaceX 計劃今年建造六座助推器，所有塔樓將於明年建成。

Another key detail in the presentation was the number of flights for the Mars missions. To load Starship with fuel, the second stage ship will dock with a tanker in Earth orbit, and according to Musk, six re-fuelling launches should be sufficient for a Mars flight. As for the Starship ship for NASA's lunar missions, it will feature landing legs and eliminate its flaps and heat shield - making it unsuitable for a return journey to Earth.

演示中的另一個關鍵細節是火星任務的飛行次數。為了給星際飛船裝載燃料，第二級飛船將與地球軌道上的一艘加油機對接，根據馬斯克的說法，六次加油發射應該足以進行火星飛行。至於用於美國太空總署月球任務的星艦，它將配備著陸腿並取消其襟翼和隔熱罩 - 使其不適合返回地球。

For return missions from Mars, Musk believes that most people who sign up for a Martian journey will not return to Earth, but the long term design goal of the Starship program is to make such journeys possible. SpaceX will build a significantly greater number of ships than boosters, since most of the ships are likely to be reused on Mars for resources.

對於從火星返回的任務，馬斯克認為，大多數報名參加火星之旅的人都不會返回地球，但星艦計畫的長期設計目標是讓這樣的旅程成為可能。 SpaceX 將建造比助推器數量多得多的飛船，因為大多數飛船可能會在火星上重複利用以獲取資源。

SpaceX will test the crucial ship to ship proepllant transfer for Starship next year, and key features of the presentation included details for the Raptor 3 engine and new Starship variants. The Raptor 3 will have integrated cooling channels, no heat shield and secondary plumbing integrated into the pump and the chamber jacket. This will provide it with higher thrust and a simplified design, also contributing to mass savings according to the executive.

SpaceX 將於明年測試 Starship 的關鍵船對船推進劑轉移，演示的主要內容包括 Raptor 3 引擎和新 Starship 變體的詳細資訊。 Raptor 3 將具有整合式冷卻通道、無隔熱罩以及整合到泵浦和腔室護套中的輔助管道。這位高層表示，這將為其提供更高的推力和簡化的設計，也有助於節省品質。

As for Starship 3, it will be roughly 500 feet tall and feature thousands of design upgrades. "Starship 3 will cost less per flight than Falcon 1," since it's fully reusable Musk added, with SpaceX potentially being able to bring the cost to orbit down to $2 million.

至於 Starship 3，它將大約 500 英尺高，並具有數千項設計升級。馬斯克補充道，“星際飛船 3 號每次飛行的成本將低於獵鷹 1 號”，因為它完全可重複使用，而 SpaceX 有可能將入軌成本降至 200 萬美元。