Elon Musk explains why the new generation Starship rocket flies faster
Elon Musk explained why a high thrust-to-weight ratio is critical for future rockets, specifically Starship. According to him, the economics of launches will change fundamentally with the transition to fully reusable systems. For such rockets, the main cost will depend on fuel prices. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .
Therefore, it is more profitable to make engines more powerful, even if they consume more fuel. A high thrust-to-weight ratio allows the rocket to accelerate faster, overcome gravity more efficiently, and ultimately reduce the cost of delivering cargo to orbit. Even with the 80% reusable Falcon 9, the loss of the upper stage is much more expensive than the fuel consumption.
Blake Scholl, founder of Boom Supersonic, commented on a video showing how quickly the new generation Starship rocket lifts off from the launch pad, noting that when thrust and mass are balanced correctly, the rocket flies with true power. Earlier, Elon Musk announced that the heat shield of the Starship spacecraft performed its task perfectly during the last test flight.
As a reminder, SpaceX set a record during its 12th flight. The rocket carried approximately 45 tons of Starlink satellite simulators into orbit. The ship also carried two modified Starlink devices adapted for filming. Currently, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering an investigation into post-flight incidents.
