Gopi Thotakura, an India-born aviator and commercial pilot based in the United States, recently joined five other space tourists on a short recreational trip to space. In 2021, three major players in private space tourism - Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX - successfully executed their first missions. Although SpaceX did not have a mission of its own, billionaire Jared Issacman chartered its Crew Dragon spacecraft for a trip into space.
Now, Elon Musk has said that SpaceX will enable anyone to go to space and even travel to the Moon and Mars, in the future.
"Over time, SpaceX will enable anyone to go to space and travel to the moon and Mars," the tech billionaire posted on X social media platform.
According to SpaceX, the company is expected to transport over 90 percent of all Earth's payloads to low-Earth orbit later this year. Currently, SpaceX's Falcon rocket is almost 80 percent reusable, and its mega rocket, 'Starship,' is projected to achieve close to 100 percent reusability. Starship is anticipated to carry astronauts to the Moon during the crewed Artemis 3 mission in 2026. The spacecraft has undergone three test flights so far, with the fourth test flight scheduled to take place soon.
According to the company, the fourth flight test of Starship could launch as soon as June 5, pending regulatory approval. Starship's third flight test made tremendous strides toward a future of rapidly reliable reusable rockets.
The fourth flight test "turns our focus from achieving orbit to demonstrating the ability to return and reuse Starship and Super Heavy", the company said.
The main goals are to perform a landing burn and execute a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico with the Super Heavy booster, and to achieve a controlled entry of Starship. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's satellite-based internet service, Starlink, has now reached over 3 million customers in 99 countries. The affordable service has recently been introduced in Indonesia and Fiji.
Inputs from IANS
