According to CNET,
Starship could end up in space in the coming months — or at least that's what SpaceX founder Elon Musk is currently aiming for.
The next-generation spacecraft is a tool that NASA plans to use to send astronauts back to the lunar surface, and Musk hopes it will send humans to Mars within a decade.
"The first Starship orbital flight will use Raptor 2 engines because of their higher capabilities and reliability," Musk tweeted. "We're going to build 39 flight-ready engines by next month and integrate them in another month, so hopefully we'll have an orbital flight test in May."
Raptor 2 is designed to be more than 25% more powerful than its predecessor.
Musk has previously expressed concerns about SpaceX's Raptor engine production speed, warning that if the company can't improve the speed of engine manufacturing, it may go bankrupt.
The CEO plans to use Starship to launch more of the company's Starlink broadband satellites at once. Musk said revenue from global internet services is key to his larger ambition to send Starship to Mars.
Switching to the Raptor 2 engine also means that spaceX's recently tested super-heavy booster and Starship prototype at its Starbase development facility in Texas may not be the vehicles used in the first orbital mission. An updated booster and spacecraft are expected to be launched on the test bench soon.
Once everything is in place, the planned Starship's first space trip will include a launch from Starbase, an orbital trip, and then a softwater landing off the coast of Hawaii. The thrusters are expected to return and land at a maritime landing site in the Gulf of Mexico.
Engine production is not the only obstacle that must be removed before the lifting. SpaceX is also awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to complete its environmental review and issue launch permits for orbital test missions. The FAA has pushed back the planned release date of its final environmental assessment several times and is now expected to be ready for the public on March 28.
The assessment will essentially determine whether the launch of the Starship can take place as soon as possible, or whether more time is needed for more environmental impact reviews, which could take months or longer to complete.