The deposits of oil and other minerals are sometimes located at the bottom of the seas and oceans. For their prey in the first half of the 20th century, oil platforms were invented that allow drilling wells under water. Recently it became known that one of the Spacex subsidiaries bought two such installations to use for their own purposes. At the moment, the company's engineers are engaged in changing their design, because Spacex is not interested in their ability to bury well, but something completely different. Bought drilling platforms can float, so they can be taken away from the coast and use as portable spacecraft to launch a huge spacecraft StarShip. The question arises - what did the company please the own cosmodrome in Texas? The reason is the concern about people.
New Spacex cosmodromes
The Spacex company bought two drilling platforms, told the NASA Spaceflight edition. To be more accurate, the purchase was made by her subsidiary Lone Star, which was registered in June 2020. She acquired drilling rigs Valaris 8500 and Valaris 8501, each of which costs $ 3.5 million. At the moment, they are already renamed "Phobos" and "Demos", in honor of the satellites of the planet Mars. Based on the new names of the platforms and Ilona messages, the planning mask to create floating cosmodromes, you can guess that they will be used to start missiles.
At the moment, both platforms are located on the port of Brownsville, which is located in the territory of Texas. Earlier, journalists managed to find vacancies of craners, electricians and marine operations. It was written that they would have to work on one of the Spacex projects. There must be new people useful companies to change the design of purchased platforms. It is not so important a built-in drilling rig. Most of all, she needs the platforms to swim and allow missiles to take off and sit down.
There is a chance that the company will equip the platform of the starting tower, which can catch the Super Heavy rockets returned back. About this idea Ilon Mask reported relatively recently - you can learn more about her here, but first read this article. The Super Heavy rocket will be used to start a huge spacecraft StarShip. He, in turn, is intended to deliver people and goods to the moon and Mars. The company also wants to use it for quick flights from one point of the planet to another.
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Starship ship launch
To launch a Giant Spaceship StarShip, ordinary cosmodromes are not suitable. First, it is a completely new and record powerful spacecraft, which is unknown to wait. If, during one of the first launches, the explosion will thunder, which is nearby people will not seem little. Therefore, space products are better to have water, away from the coast. Secondly, a powerful rocket will clearly publish a lot of noise and disturb residents of nearby cities. And problems with them are not needed by Spacex, because one day she has already dressed up with the inhabitants of the village of Boca Chik, next to which its private cosmodrome is located.
At the moment, the STARSHIP spacecraft is under development. Its first launch can be implemented at the end of 2021, but only on condition that it will pass all the necessary tests. During one of the preliminary launches, the prototype was able to rise to a height of 12 kilometers, but during the landing did not have time to slow down and exploded. But the company was ready for such an outcome and was not particularly surprised by the result. It is known that in 2021 the test launches of the StarShip ship will be even greater than before. For details on some plans of Spacex on 2021, I wrote in this material.
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If everything goes according to plan and STARSHIP ship will still be created, in the next 10 years, people will finally be able to fly to Mars. Many people are confident that this will be a new step in the development of space. Only here the joy about the first flight of people for Mars some scientists will not share. For example, the astrobiologist Samantha Rolfe believes that people can bring bacteria with them that can destroy potentially living on Mars creatures. It is also possible that Martian conditions will be too extreme for astronauts. Read more about the hazards of the flight to the Red Planet you can read by clicking on this link.