Washington:
SpaceX's mission to Mars hit a roadblock when the Martian rocket prototype Starship’s top half suffered a huge blow due to high winds. "Winds of 50 miles per hour 'broke the mooring blocks late last night' and blew over the rocket's 'fairing'," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted. The damage "will take a few weeks to repair," Musk added.
Formerly known as the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), the retro-looking, steely rocket called Starship prototype is being built in Boca Chica, along the Gulf Coast of Texas, is nine yards (meters) in diameter. The test version is shorter than the final version of the future rocket.
Starship is being built out of a very light stainless steel, rather than carbon fiber. In a recent interview with Popular Mechanics, SpaceX CEO said that it is being built with stainless steel because it is cheap and fast, while also being strong enough to endure the intense temperature changes and pressure of flying through the Earth's atmosphere.
"We are building the Starship prototypes locally at our launch site in Texas, as their size makes them very difficult to transport," Musk had said.
An orbital prototype is expected in June. That version will be paired with a massive rocket booster known as the Super Heavy. SpaceX has said the duo could some day transport people from city to city on Earth, as well as propel passengers around the Moon, to the lunar surface, and even to Mars and back.
