SpaceX's Starship test rocket knocked over due to strong winds in Texas

SpaceX has been developing the Starship prototype since the holidays.

Tech2 News Staff|Jan 28, 2019, 11:02:02 IST

In a setback to Elon Musk's plan of colonising Mars, the recently revealed SpaceX Starship test rocket was knocked over by strong winds in Texas. Images from the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, show that part of the vehicle had toppled on its side.[caption id="attachment_5856171" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Starship. Image: SpaceX[/caption]As per a report by The Verge, this was just a Starship prototype and not an exact replica of the artistic renders Elon Musk had shared earlier this month. The test vehicle will require to take a few weeks to repair, said Musk in a tweet. However, barring this setback, SpaceX has said that it plans on performing short “hop” tests with the vehicle which include igniting the vehicle’s engines and sending it to altitudes between 1,640 and 16,400 feet.SpaceX has been developing the Starship prototype since the holidays and it will be the companies main rocket to carry people into orbit, the moon, Mars or even beyond.The Starship prototype was built of stainless steel — a material that is capable of resisting heat well, and reflecting heat with a generous coat of polish on its surface, which the latest illustration of the rocket flaunts.This makes it a superior to the usual choice of carbon-fiber for SpaceX rockets such as the Falcon 9. Innovative use of kitchenware alloys and teasers of progress are cool, no doubt. But seeing the Starship fly is entirely another, and a treat that Musk says we can expect in a matter of months.

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