--- title: "Elon Musk: First Starship Test Could Be in Four Weeks" description: "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter yesterday that the first Starship test could take place in as little as four weeks." date: "2019-01-06" modified: "2019-01-06" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-first-starship-test-four-weeks" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk: First Starship Test Could Be in Four Weeks ![SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter yesterday that the first test of the Starship could take place in as little as four weeks.]() *\Image: SpaceX/Jon Christian\* ## Starship Hopper SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter yesterday that the first test of the spacetech company's Starship hopper, a shorter version of its upcoming Starship, could take place in as little as four weeks — though with the caveat that it could take as much as twice that long. "Aiming for 4 weeks," Musk [tweeted]() of the upcoming test, "which probably means 8 weeks, due to unforeseen issues." ## Gorgeous Vision Musk [also tweeted]() a new mock-up of the Starship, which showed a smooth metallic finish instead of the rough panels on the [current prototype](). Unlike on the mock-up, the final version will have windows, he said on Twitter. *TechCrunch* [opined that]() "Elon Musk's vision of spaceflight is gorgeous." The Starship is part of Musk's long-term plan for an interplanetary transport system. If all goes well, he intends to use it to [transport human crews to Mars]() and for an upcoming Lunar flyby [tentatively scheduled for 2023](). Starship test vehicle under assembly will look similar to this illustration when finished. Operational Starships would obv have windows, etc. [pic.twitter.com/D8AJ01mjyR]() — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [January 5, 2019]() **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk aims to test SpaceX’s Starship hopper next month, tweets mock-up]() \[*LA Times*\] ***More on the Starship:** [Elon Musk Tweets Image of SpaceX's Stainless Steel Starship]()* ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()