Elon Musk, a businessman, investor, and founder of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), is marching at light speed towards his ambitious goal of colonizing Mars. The Starship, a powerful rocket made by SpaceX, aims to revolutionize space exploration. He believes that using stainless steel material in developing Starship will be a game-changer, even though the Atlas rocket by General Dynamics failed in its attempts to carry even small payloads. How is Elon Musk planning to succeed in his missions? Read everything about his company and missions in this article.
" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Convair-Atlas-Rocket-First-Flown-in-1957.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-2942" src="https://fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Convair-Atlas-Rocket-First-Flown-in-1957-300x200.jpg" alt="Convair Atlas Rocket- First Flown in 1957" width="300" height="200" /> Convair Atlas Rocket- First Flown in 1957
What are SpaceX and Starship?
The USA-headquartered SpaceX company is involved in the design, manufacturing, and launch of spacecraft into space. Founded by Elon Musk in 2002, SpaceX aims to revolutionize space technology and reduce the cost of space travel.
Among many other launch vehicles, like the Dragon and Falcon, the Starship remains the largest and most powerful rocket. This two-stage, super-heavy-lift launch vehicle operates with greater efficiency. It focuses on reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline, and adapting to a wide range of space missions.
" data-image-caption="
Starship Launch
" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Starship-Launch.jpg?fit=275%2C183&ssl=1" class="size-full wp-image-2947" src="https://fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Starship-Launch.jpg" alt="Starship Launch" width="275" height="183" /> Starship Launch
Why Stainless Steel for Starships?
In an interview with Popular Mechanics, Elon Musk discussed the materials considered for Starship's development. "We were pursuing an advanced carbon-fiber structure, but progress was very slow, and the cost was $135 per kilogram. Additionally, there was about a 35 percent scrap rate due to unusable fabric remnants. The fabric is impregnated with a high-strength resin, which is quite tricky to handle and requires 60 to 120 plies."
" data-image-caption="
Elon Musk
" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Elon-Musk.jpg?fit=195%2C258&ssl=1" class="size-full wp-image-2948" src="https://fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Elon-Musk.jpg" alt="Elon Musk" width="195" height="258" /> Elon Musk
Regarding his decision to use stainless steel, Musk explained, "Stainless steel is obviously cheap and fast to work with. Most steels become very brittle at cryogenic temperatures, which range from −150°C to absolute zero (−273°C or 0K). You've seen the trick with liquid nitrogen on typical carbon steel: you spray it with liquid nitrogen, hit it with a hammer, and it shatters like glass. This brittleness affects most steels, but not stainless steel with a high chrome-nickel content. This alloy actually increases in strength at low temperatures while maintaining high ductility. For instance, at around minus 330 degrees Fahrenheit, stainless steel retains 12 to 18 percent ductility. It remains very ductile and tough, with no fracture issues."
Why didn't Atlas do well?
Atlas is a family of U.S. missiles and space launch vehicles that originated in the 1960s. As Elon Musk explained to Popular Mechanics, "Stainless steel was used in the early Atlas days. The early Atlas was essentially a steel balloon tank. The main flaw in the early Atlas program was that the material was so thin that it would collapse under its own weight. It was like a steel balloon that couldn't even stand upright and would collapse like a bouncy castle. It couldn't carry even a small payload—there were several instances of early Atlases collapsing on the launch pad, causing disasters."
" data-image-caption="
Atlas-5E Rocket Launch
" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Atlas-5E_rocket-Launch.jpg?fit=808%2C1024&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-2949" src="https://fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Atlas-5E_rocket-Launch-237x300.jpg" alt="Atlas-5E Rocket Launch" width="237" height="300" /> Atlas-5E Rocket Launch
What is the latest mission of the Starship?
SpaceX's Starship rocket recently completed its fourth test flight, successfully landing in the Indian Ocean. This mission marked significant progress, with both the ship and booster achieving controlled landings over water, advancing further in their planned mission profiles compared to previous tests.
Engine ignition and liftoff of Starship on Flight 4 as seen from the launch tower pic.twitter.com/4UmeAmKxRT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 12, 2024