SpaceX has recently announced plans to revolutionize the commercial aviation industry by offering Earth to Earth space flights for passengers. Billionaire Elon Musk believes that this ambitious concept using the Starship rocket is now feasible following the re-election of Donald Trump.
The Starship rocket, which can carry up to 1000 passengers, will not venture deep into space. Instead, it will fly “parallel” to the Earth’s surface to transport passengers to their destinations. According to SpaceX, flights from London to New York will take 30 minutes, from New York to Shanghai 39 minutes, and from Zurich to Sydney 50 minutes. Passengers will experience high levels of acceleration during take-off and landing, and will need to be securely fastened during the flight in low gravity conditions.
A recent SpaceX promotional video shared on social media suggests that the project may gain approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Trump’s presidency. Musk responded to the video saying, “Now this is possible.” CNBC reports that Musk invested $130 million in support of Trump’s election campaign.
The promotional video, released in 2017, showcases passengers boarding a boat in New York at dawn and then transferring to the Starship rocket. The rocket reaches Shanghai in just 39 minutes, a journey that currently takes 15 hours by conventional flight.
Musk has mentioned that facilities such as toilets, pilots, and galleys will not be necessary for most Starship flights, which will be relatively short. Passengers may need to use the facilities on the boat before boarding to avoid inconvenience during the space journey.
While Starship’s primary purpose is for deep space exploration, including missions to the moon and Mars, SpaceX also aims to revolutionize commercial passenger space travel. Although the project is still in development and has faced challenges during test launches, SpaceX’s successful retrieval and reuse of the Starship rocket’s first stage marks a significant milestone towards achieving its ambitious goals.
SpaceX’s innovative project has the potential to transform the future of aviation, offering unprecedented speed and efficiency in long-distance travel. Despite the hurdles ahead, the company remains determined to make Earth to Earth space flights a reality.
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