- Next generation of SpaceX Starship rockets will be taller than pyramids of Giza, Elon Musk claims
- Current Starship rockets are biggest and most powerful ever built
- Musk has long-held desire to see manned mission to Mars
SpaceX boss Elon Musk has claimed that the next generation of his company’s Starship rockets will be taller than the Pyramids of Giza.
In response to a post on X, which Musk also owns, he wrote that the Starship rockets “will probably approach 140m over time”.
Biggest in history
To indicate how vast these rockets will be, the Pyramids of Giza stand 137 metres tall.
SpaceX already has multi-billion-dollar contracts with US space agency Nasa to use Starship rockets to transport cargo and crew to the Moon as part of its Artemis program.
The current generation of Starship rockets, which are already the biggest and most powerful ever built, are 120 meters tall and can produce 7.5 million kilos of thrust – about double the force of the next most powerful rocket in history.
Tests ongoing
An unmanned Starship rocket went into orbit for the first time in March – following two previous failures when the rockets blew up soon after launch. Launched from Texas, the rocket achieved many of the goals set for the test, although it didn’t survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Nevertheless, it was still judged a success. The next Starship test is set to take place later this month.
However, as the post on X shows, Musk is still looking to the future. He is on record talking about his wish to set up a human colony on Mars before 2050, as well as plans to build a fleet of reusable Starship rockets, which can be quickly refuelled and sent back into the air. If this is successful, it could substantially lower the cost of space travel.
