Musk says first orbital flight of Starship could be just weeks away

Elon Musk in a speech on Thursday said the first orbital flight of Starship could be just weeks away. 

The SpaceX CEO said the rocket could be off the ground in a month or two if everything goes according to plan, The Associated Press reported. Even if issues arise, Musk expects Starship in orbit before the end of the year. 

Starship would be the first reusable rocket with the price of launches a few million dollars each, which Musk said is “crazy low” compared to other launch prices. 

As long as he gets permission from the Federal Aviation Administration around March, Musk said Starship will be ready to get in orbit, according to the AP. If there are any challenges and they have to go to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch could take another six months. 

Musk spoke of his dreams to one day have a city on Mars, but, for now, the rocket will take satellites to connect people to the internet into orbit. 

“There will probably be a few bumps in the road, but we want to iron those out with satellite missions and test missions” before humans are allowed on Starship, Musk said, the AP noted.