Inverse 6/9/2020
SpaceX plans to make changes to its Starship rocket to make it better suited to lunar missions.
The Starship, SpaceX's giant rocket designed to send the first humans to Mars, could also play a key role in bringing a permanent base on the moon to life. To complete that project, it may have to undergo some tweaks first.
On Tuesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained how the Starship would need to undergo some adaptations to land on the moon. This would stand in contrast to other Starships, which are designed to support the sort of launches currently undertaken by the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy – think satellite launches and sending astronauts to the space station. The standard Starships would also be used for crewed missions to Mars, where the planet's atmosphere can be used to reduce the speed as it comes in to land.
Writing on his Twitter page in response to YouTuber Tim Dodd, Musk noted some tweaks for these special moon-bound Starships:
"We’re working on new legs. Wider stance & able to auto-level. Important for leaning into wind or landing on rocky & pitted surfaces."
Musk also explained how, with a different goal in mind versus other Starships, the moon-bound ships can afford to drop some of their other amenities:
"Forward thrusters are to stabilize ship when landing in high winds. If goal is max payload to moon per ship, no heatshield or flaps or big gas thruster packs are needed."
More:
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/spacex-starship-elon-musk-explains-rocket-to-the-moon
