SpaceX Reportedly Wants to Fly First Starship to Orbit as Soon as July

Starships were meant to fly.

Ambitious Targets

According to information obtained by NASASpaceFlight, SpaceX may attempt to send a Starship prototype all the way to space as soon as July.

The information, which has yet to be verified, claims that SpaceX is hoping to send booster "Super Heavy BN3 and Starship SN20" to space, "with a goal to get to orbit by July 1."

Going Orbital

The news comes after the company's latest prototype, called SN11, was rolled out to the launch pad last week. According to recent reports, SN11 will attempt to complete the company's fourth high-altitude test involving a full-scale prototype of its Mars-bound Starship rocket.

After SN11, SpaceX will likely attempt to launch SN15, 16, and 17, meanwhile testing Super Heavy rocket booster prototypes BN1 and BN2, as NASASpaceflight reports.

Getting Serious

So far, the space company has flown three full-scale prototypes to an altitude of roughly ten kilometers. While the three massive rockets were able to ascend and descend using a "bellyflop" maneuver, none of them fully stuck the landing — or at least survive the minutes following it, as was the case for SN10 last month.

Needless to say, July 1 is an extremely ambitious deadline and SpaceX is likely aware of that.

As such, the date is likely more aspirational than absolute — but it does signify that SpaceX is serious about putting the 165 foot spacecraft into space as soon as humanly possible.

READ MORE: Starship SN11 prepares to fly as SpaceX pushes for Orbital flight this summer [NASASpaceflight]

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