The business end of the SpaceX Starship hopper prototype.
Elon Musk/SpaceX
It looks like Elon Musk’s Starship prototype, dubbed “Starhopper,” might make its highest hop yet as soon as Monday afternoon.
Musk tweeted Saturday his hope that Monday would be the day his next generation rocket prototype would take flight once more. Cameron County, Texas officials have been circulating a notice to local residents advising them to prepare for “space flight activities” from 4 to 4:15 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
SpaceX had planned to test the single-engine version of its eventual Mars vehicle with its second short flight earlier this month, but the launch was abruptly canceled. Musk later tweeted that the Federal Aviation Administration required a bit more “hazard analysis” and Starhopper “should be clear to fly soon.”
Now the FAA has posted a new airspace closure for the area around the SpaceX test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, beginning Monday afternoon and running through Wednesday night. However, the agency has not yet issued an updated permit that would give Starhopper the green light to fly to new heights: it’s currently permitted to fly no higher than 25 meters above ground level (82 feet).
If a new permit is issued, we could finally see Starhopper make some serious maneuvers. Its last test hop was a short, nighttime 20-meter (66 feet) liftoff, hover and landing that was mostly obscured from view by fire, smoke and darkness.
This time the hope is that Starhopper will reach an altitude of around 650 feet (198 meters) before returning to the ground.
If this next hop is successful, Musk has said, he’ll follow it with a public presentation “hopefully mid September,” updating us on the design and vision for Starship.
Will probably make sense to do this when Starship Mk 1 has 3 Raptors, moving body fins & landing gear installed, which is hopefully mid September
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2019
In previous presentations from the past few years, Musk has outlined his plans to use his next-generation heavy launcher (also previously known as BFR or Big Falcon Rocket) to help build a colony on Mars, send a group of artists on a trip around the moon and even provide transcontinental travel on Earth.
But before any of that can happen, Starhopper needs to show it has real hopping chops, hopefully soon.
Originally published Aug. 22, 11:05 a.m. PT.
Updates, 6:30 p.m.: Adds information on the status of SpaceX’s permit to fly Starhopper from the FAA.; Aug 25: Adds possible Monday test.