SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, is preparing for a bold new chapter on its path to space exploration, after achieving the historic feat of a propulsive landing with the imposing superheavy booster. The company is now planning something even more ambitious, a test of In-orbit resupply using two StarShip spacecraft scheduled for March 2025.
This test is important because in-orbit refueling is a crucial step for long-range missions, such as those seeking to take humans back to the moon and eventually Mars, this technology will allow spacecraft to be resupplied in space increasing their range. and cargo capacity with an efficient resupply system, the StarShip will be able to make longer trips carrying more equipment and resources essential for the exploration of other worlds.
Recently Kent Chojnacki, deputy manager of NASA's human landing system program, revealed details of this test and in an interview with space flight Now, according to him, successful orbital resupply will open the doors to transport large amounts of cargo beyond Earth, an advance significant that reinforces the viability of space exploration missions.
This test is also directly related to NASA's ambitious Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable lunar presence, SpaceX's StarShip was selected as one of the main elements for these missions and a special variant called HLS, The StarShip will be adapted to land on the lunar surface transporting astronauts from orbit to the moon and back to orbit.
The resupply test in March 2025 will be a complex operation, two StarShip vehicles will be launched into low Earth orbit with an interval of three to four weeks between each launch, then the two ships will meet in space, dock and carry out a transfer of fuel, this procedure will serve to supply the starship that will continue towards the moon simulating the conditions of a Real Mission.
After the fuel transfer, the ships will undock and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, completing this fundamental stage. For future interplanetary missions, this in-flight refueling will be an important step for the development of cryogenic fluid management technologies that are essential to maintain fuel stable and safe in extreme environments such as deep space.
These technologies are also crucial to establishing a sustainable lunar presence and in the future making human travel to Mars viable. To make this vision possible, SpaceX plans to launch a fleet of between 8 and 16 StarShip tankers into low Earth orbit, each of These tankers will be equipped to transport between 100 and 150 metric tons of liquid oxygen and methane.
In recent months SpaceX has shown how far their engineering has come, now to support the Artemis missions the upper stage of the StarShip in charge of the human landing system will have to reach an unprecedented level of precision, it will need to land smoothly and precisely on the ground. ented and cratered lunar surface, a challenge that SpaceX is determined to overcome and I plan to be here to show you everything.
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