Musk: The first orbiting starship was launched in March

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk spoke for more than an hour Thursday night during a much-anticipated discussion about Starship, which the company hopes will one day bring humans to Mars, which will play a key role in NASA's plan to send humans back to Mars for the first time in half a century. Still, not many new details have been shared. Musk said the first orbiting starship was launched in March.

Musk again said he wanted to build a city on Mars, but didn't provide any updates on who would live there or how he would manage it. He reiterated how some design changes, such as the updated rocket engine design, would help reduce costs.

There are still many unresolved issues. NASA has awarded SpaceX a contract to send astronauts to the moon, but Musk did not specify what tests SpaceX must perform before carrying out its promised manned mission, nor did it specify a roadmap or a mission to Mars to prepare Starship for the moon.

But Musk used media campaigns to interact with his core fan base and employees, touting the company's progress in a speech set against the backdrop of a complete Starship vehicle (spacecraft and rocket) on the launch pad behind Musk at the company's South Texas facility.

SpaceX has been making a quick effort to get Starship ready for launch, but so far the company has only sent some early prototypes of so-called "jump tests," and it's still waiting for regulatory approval to put the car on top of its massive rocket booster and try to put it in orbit. Musk said the company has managed to reduce the cost and weight of its individual Raptor rocket engines, in large part by integrating parts into the design and changing the flange to welds. Musk also said that the second-generation Raptor engine will produce more thrust than the first generation.

More than two years ago, Musk announced Starship's first space travel customer, Japanese fashion mogul Yusaku Maezawa. Maezawa paid SpaceX an undisclosed sum to get a seat for herself and a group of artists on a trip around the moon in Starship, hoping it could take off as early as 2023. Maezawa Yusaku is still deciding who he will take with him.

Musk hinted that others are also interested in buying travel spots, and said he would release more news about it.

So far, SpaceX has relied on small Falcon rockets to launch satellites, astronauts and cargo for NASA to the International Space Station. In September 2021, a billionaire bought SpaceX's first private starship. Another customer who bought a private starship will show up at the end of March, and this buyer will set off for the space station with three others, each of whom will pay $55 million (about 350 million yuan).

About Starship

Starship is at the heart of SpaceX's plan to develop the technology necessary to establish human settlements on Mars.

SpaceX has enabled regular manned flights to the International Space Station, put the first full-time visitors into orbit, and become a reliable mainstay for exciting newcomers to the U.S. aerospace industry.

But as NASA demonstrated in the mid-20th century, it's not easy to go from a short excursion to space and then to getting a spacecraft all the way to the moon. To this day, no one has ever reached Mars. For all of Musk and SpaceX's accomplishments, there's still a long way to go. Despite all Musk's accomplishments, he's also infamous for missing the deadline for ambitious projects.

Since 2019, however, SpaceX has spent most of its time in "show-but-not-say" mode, conducting about a dozen test flights on various early prototypes, from a few feet above ground to more than 30,000 feet. As the test rocket crashed back to the ground, some high-altitude tests ended in explosions. But its latest test launch in May 2021 successfully landed upright without catching fire.

Recently, SpaceX has been waiting for federal regulatory approval for a full-size Starship for its first orbital launch attempt. It would be a feat of no small feat— it would take more than 22 times the speed of sound to get into orbit, and to get the Starship spacecraft moving so fast, it would ride on a towering rocket booster called super heavy with about 30 high-powered engines attached to it.

Even so, going to Mars requires more challenges than just building rockets to get there.

On Thursday, SpaceX showcased a fully stacked vehicle, the Starship spacecraft located on a super-heavy booster on the company's new orbital launch pad, which sits next to a remote beach in the Gulf of Mexico. The large "grab arm" holds the rocket in place because Musk's dream of a fast, reusable rocket will require the rocket to return to its launch pad after putting its payload into orbit.

If successful, Starship would become the most powerful rocket ever launched by humans, twice as powerful as the Saturn V rocket NASA used to send astronauts to the moon in the 1960s.

Approved by the FAA

However, before Starship can even go into space, SpaceX needs to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, which authorizes commercial space launches in the United States.

Musk has said the company is ready to launch Starship's orbital test flights as early as last July.

But the second half of 2021 is full of crises. The FAA is conducting an environmental assessment to assess the impact of launching such a massive rocket from rural Texas coastline. The October public comment period raised the voices of many local residents who strongly opposed the idea, as well as some ardent supporters who did not necessarily come from the region.

According to the FAA, while SpaceX initially expects all work to be completed by the end of 2021, environmental assessments will continue until at least February 28, 2022.

The agency cited "a large number of comments submitted" and "discussion and consultation efforts with the consultants" as reasons for the delay.

Musk did not provide an exact update on the expected approval, but said the company could move some of its operations to Cape Kennedy In Florida if the FAA needs a more thorough review.

SpaceX is awaiting approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration before proceeding to Starship's next phase of mission: into orbit. Musk said he hopes to get approval in March this year, when Starship should also be ready to fly. He added that this would make it roll out in the coming months.