SpaceX is building two competing versions of the new Starship rocket in Texas and Florida. The two SpaceX construction teams will cooperate but also compete on the construction of reusable Starships.
Elon Musk indicated that one focus is ramping the build rate of the new Raptor rocket engines as they build the 6th through the tenth engines.
Elon plans to complete the first 100 Raptor engines early in 2020.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 with 60 Starlink satellites has an 80% chance of launching late today.
Weather is 80% favorable for tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of Starlink. Launch window opens at 10:30 p.m. EDT → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z pic.twitter.com/RHveMmfOi9
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 15, 2019
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting May 15 for launch of 60 Starlink satellites from Pad 40 in Florida
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 14, 2019
SpaceX is doing simultaneous competing builds of Starship in Boca Chica Texas & Cape Canaveral Florida
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 14, 2019
Both sites will make many Starships. This is a competition to see which location is most effective. Answer might be both.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 14, 2019
SN4 is done. Hawthorne is working on SN5 now, but focus is ramping build rate of SN6 through SN10.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 15, 2019
That’s about right
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 15, 2019
SOURCES- Twitter Elon Musk, SpaceX
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com