Elon Musk lost his claim to owning the most powerful space rocket when NASA launched its own mega rocket to the moon in November.
But the SpaceX founder was able to reclaim the title with his company’s next big project. SpaceX’s super-high-altitude rocket and spacecraft, Starship, will soon launch on its first mission. During the test flight, the giant booster will separate about three minutes after takeoff and land in the Gulf of Mexico (opens in new tab), according to federal filings. The spacecraft flies through space around the Earth at an altitude of over 150 miles and lands on the shores of Hawaii (opens in new tab).
This will be a key demonstration of the hardware NASA will rely on to bring humans back to the moon within a few years. And if successful, Musk will take a small step toward realizing his personal dream of building a city on Mars.
The billionaire business mogul has oversold timelines in the past, but here’s what we know so far.
