You’ve heard of the Big Bang. Now astronomers have discovered the Big Wheel
The Big Wheel alongside some of its neighbors.
Weichen Wang et al.
March 17, 2025
Deep observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed an exceptionally large galaxy in the early universe. It’s a cosmic giant whose light has travelled over 12 billion years to reach us. We’ve dubbed it the Big Wheel, with our findings published today in Nature Astronomy.
This giant disk galaxy existed within the first two billion years after the Big Bang, meaning it formed when the universe was just 15% of its current age. It challenges what we know about how galaxies form.
Deep observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed an exceptionally large galaxy in the early universe. It’s a cosmic giant whose light has travelled over 12 billion years to reach us. We’ve dubbed it the Big Wheel, with our findings published today in Nature Astronomy.
This giant disk galaxy existed within the first two billion years after the Big Bang, meaning it formed when the universe was just 15% of its current age. It challenges what we know about how galaxies form.
What is a disk galaxy?
Picture a galaxy like our own Milky Way: a flat, rotating structure made up of stars, gas and dust, often surrounded by an extensive halo of unseen dark matter.
Disk galaxies typically have clear spiral arms extending outward from a dense central region. Our Milky Way itself is a disk galaxy, characterised by beautiful spiral arms that wrap around its centre.
An artist impression of the Milky Way showcasing the dusty spiral structures similar to The Big Wheel.
Studying disk galaxies, like the Milky Way and the newly discovered Big Wheel, helps us uncover how galaxies form, grow and evolve across billions of years.
These studies are especially significant, as understanding galaxies similar to our own can provide deeper insights into the cosmic history of our galactic home.
A giant surprise
We previously thought galaxy disks form gradually over a long period: either through gas smoothly flowing into galaxies from surrounding space, or by merging with smaller galaxies.
Usually, rapid mergers between galaxies would disrupt the delicate spiral structures, turning them into more chaotic shapes. However, the Big Wheel managed to quickly grow to a surprisingly large size without losing its distinctive spiral form. This challenges long-held ideas about the growth of giant galaxies.
Our detailed JWST observations show that the Big Wheel is comparable in size and rotational speed to the largest “super-spiral” galaxies in today’s universe. It is three times as big in size as comparable galaxies at that epoch and is one of the most massive galaxies observed in the early cosmos.
In fact, its rotation speed places it among galaxies at the high end of what’s called the Tully-Fisher relation, a well-known link between a galaxy’s stellar mass and how fast it spins.
Remarkably, even though it’s unusually large, the Big Wheel is actively growing at a rate similar to other galaxies at the same cosmic age.
The Big Wheel galaxy is seen at the centre. In striking contrast, the bright blue galaxy (upper right) is only about 1.5 billion light years away, making the Big Wheel roughly 50 times farther away. Although both appear a similar size, the enormous distance of the Big Wheel reveals its truly colossal physical scale.JWST
Unusually crowded part of space
What makes this even more fascinating is the environment in which the Big Wheel formed.
It’s located in an unusually crowded region of space, where galaxies are packed closely together, ten times denser than typical areas of the universe. This dense environment likely provided ideal conditions for the galaxy to grow quickly. It probably experienced mergers that were gentle enough to let the galaxy maintain its spiral disk shape.
Additionally, the gas flowing into the galaxy must have aligned well with its rotation, allowing the disk to grow quickly without being disrupted. So, a perfect combination.
An illustration of how a massive spiral galaxy forms and evolves over billions of years. This evolutionary path is similar to real-world galaxies like Andromeda, our closest spiral galaxy neighbour, which also developed distinct spiral arms similar to the Big Wheel.
A fortunate finding
Discovering a galaxy like the Big Wheel was incredibly unlikely. We had less than a 2% chance to find this in our survey, according to current galaxy formation models.
So, our finding was fortunate, probably because we observed it within an exceptionally dense region, quite different from typical cosmic environments.
Besides its mysterious formation, the ultimate fate of the Big Wheel is another intriguing question. Given the dense environment, future mergers might significantly alter its structure, potentially transforming it into a galaxy comparable in mass to the largest ones observed in nearby clusters, such as Virgo.
The Big Wheel’s discovery has revealed yet another mystery of the early universe, showing that our current models of galaxy evolution still need refinement.
With more observations and discoveries of massive, early galaxies like the Big Wheel, astronomers will be able to unlock more secrets about how the universe built the structures we see today.
Themiya Nanayakkara, Lead Astronomer at the James Webb Australian Data Centre, Swinburne University of Technology
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Astronauts finally to return after unexpected 9-month ISS stay
COPRESIDENTSMUSKTRUMP BLAME BIDEN FOR ABANDONING ASTRONAUTS
By AFP
March 17, 2025
SpaceX Dragon Crew-10 members greet International Space Station crew members including NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams (3R) on March 16, 2025 -
Issam AHMED
After more than nine months aboard the International Space Station, a pair of astronauts are finally set to depart for Earth early Tuesday, ending a prolonged mission that has captivated global attention.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test out Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight.
But the spaceship developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly them back, instead returning empty without more major problems.
Ex-Navy pilots Wilmore and Williams, 62 and 59 respectively, were instead re-assigned to the NASA-SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which saw a Dragon spacecraft fly to the ISS last September with a team of two, rather than the usual four, to make room for the “stranded” pair.
Then, early Sunday, a relief team called Crew-10 docked with the station, their arrival met with broad smiles and hugs as they floated through the hatch.
Crew-10’s arrival clears the way for Wilmore and Williams to depart, along with American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Hatch closure is set for 10:45 pm (0245 GMT), followed by final checks and undocking at 1:05 am.
If all goes smoothly, the Dragon craft will deploy its parachutes off the coast of Florida for an ocean splashdown, where a recovery vessel will retrieve the crew.
– ‘Unbelievable resilience’ –
Wilmore and Williams’ stay surpasses the standard six-month ISS rotation but ranks only sixth among US records for single-mission duration.
Frank Rubio holds the top spot at 371 days in 2023, while the world record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 consecutive days aboard the Mir station.
That makes it “par for the course” in terms of health risks, according to Rihana Bokhari of the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College.
Challenges such as muscle and bone loss, fluid shifts, and readjusting to gravity are well understood and well managed.
“Folks like Suni Williams are actually known for their interest in exercise, and so I believe she exercises beyond what is even her normal prescription,” Bokhari told AFP.
Still, the unexpected nature of their extended stay — away from their families and initially without enough packed supplies — has drawn public interest and sympathy.
“If you found out you went to work today and were going to be stuck in your office for the next nine months, you might have a panic attack,” Joseph Keebler, a psychologist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told AFP.
“These individuals have shown unbelievable resilience.”
– Trump weighs in –
Their unexpected stint also became a political lightning rod, with President Donald Trump and his close advisor, Elon Musk — who leads SpaceX — repeatedly suggesting former president Joe Biden abandoned the astronauts and refused an earlier rescue plan.
“They shamefully forgot about the Astronauts, because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday.
Such accusations have prompted an outcry in the space community, especially as Musk offered no specifics and NASA’s plan for the astronauts’ return has remained unchanged since their Crew-9 reassignment.
Trump has also drawn attention for his bizarre remarks, referring to Williams, a decorated former naval captain, as “the woman with the wild hair” and speculating about the personal dynamic between the two.
“They’ve been left up there — I hope they like each other, maybe they love each other, I don’t know,” he said during a recent White House press conference.
COPRESIDENTSMUSKTRUMP BLAME BIDEN FOR ABANDONING ASTRONAUTS
By AFP
March 17, 2025
SpaceX Dragon Crew-10 members greet International Space Station crew members including NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams (3R) on March 16, 2025 -
Copyright NASA/AFP -
Issam AHMED
After more than nine months aboard the International Space Station, a pair of astronauts are finally set to depart for Earth early Tuesday, ending a prolonged mission that has captivated global attention.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test out Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight.
But the spaceship developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly them back, instead returning empty without more major problems.
Ex-Navy pilots Wilmore and Williams, 62 and 59 respectively, were instead re-assigned to the NASA-SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which saw a Dragon spacecraft fly to the ISS last September with a team of two, rather than the usual four, to make room for the “stranded” pair.
Then, early Sunday, a relief team called Crew-10 docked with the station, their arrival met with broad smiles and hugs as they floated through the hatch.
Crew-10’s arrival clears the way for Wilmore and Williams to depart, along with American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Hatch closure is set for 10:45 pm (0245 GMT), followed by final checks and undocking at 1:05 am.
If all goes smoothly, the Dragon craft will deploy its parachutes off the coast of Florida for an ocean splashdown, where a recovery vessel will retrieve the crew.
– ‘Unbelievable resilience’ –
Wilmore and Williams’ stay surpasses the standard six-month ISS rotation but ranks only sixth among US records for single-mission duration.
Frank Rubio holds the top spot at 371 days in 2023, while the world record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 consecutive days aboard the Mir station.
That makes it “par for the course” in terms of health risks, according to Rihana Bokhari of the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College.
Challenges such as muscle and bone loss, fluid shifts, and readjusting to gravity are well understood and well managed.
“Folks like Suni Williams are actually known for their interest in exercise, and so I believe she exercises beyond what is even her normal prescription,” Bokhari told AFP.
Still, the unexpected nature of their extended stay — away from their families and initially without enough packed supplies — has drawn public interest and sympathy.
“If you found out you went to work today and were going to be stuck in your office for the next nine months, you might have a panic attack,” Joseph Keebler, a psychologist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told AFP.
“These individuals have shown unbelievable resilience.”
– Trump weighs in –
Their unexpected stint also became a political lightning rod, with President Donald Trump and his close advisor, Elon Musk — who leads SpaceX — repeatedly suggesting former president Joe Biden abandoned the astronauts and refused an earlier rescue plan.
“They shamefully forgot about the Astronauts, because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday.
Such accusations have prompted an outcry in the space community, especially as Musk offered no specifics and NASA’s plan for the astronauts’ return has remained unchanged since their Crew-9 reassignment.
Trump has also drawn attention for his bizarre remarks, referring to Williams, a decorated former naval captain, as “the woman with the wild hair” and speculating about the personal dynamic between the two.
“They’ve been left up there — I hope they like each other, maybe they love each other, I don’t know,” he said during a recent White House press conference.
What happens to the human body in deep space?
By AFP
March 18, 2025
As astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare to return home after nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), some of the health risks they've faced are well-documented and managed, while others remain a mystery
By AFP
March 18, 2025
As astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare to return home after nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), some of the health risks they've faced are well-documented and managed, while others remain a mystery
- Copyright NASA/AFP/File -
Issam AHMED
Bone and muscle deterioration, radiation exposure, vision impairment — these are just a few of the challenges space travelers face on long-duration missions, even before considering the psychological toll of isolation.
As US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare to return home after nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), some of the health risks they’ve faced are well-documented and managed, while others remain a mystery.
These dangers will only grow as humanity pushes deeper into the solar system, including to Mars, demanding innovative solutions to safeguard the future of space exploration.
– Exercise key –
Despite the attention their mission has received, Wilmore and Williams’ nine-month stay is “par for the course,” said Rihana Bokhari, an assistant professor at the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College.
ISS missions typically last six months, but some astronauts stay up to a year, and researchers are confident in their ability to maintain astronaut health for that duration.
Most people know that lifting weights builds muscle and strengthens bones, but even basic movement on Earth resists gravity, an element missing in orbit.
To counteract this, astronauts use three exercise machines on the ISS, including a 2009-installed resistance device that simulates free weights using vacuum tubes and flywheel cables.
A two-hour daily workout keeps them in shape. “The best results that we have to show that we’re being very effective is that we don’t really have a fracture problem in astronauts when they return to the ground,” though bone loss is still detectable on scans, Bokhari told AFP.
Balance disruption is another issue, added Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair of Aerospace Medicine at the University of Central Florida.
“This happens to every single astronaut, even those who go into space just for a few days,” he told AFP, as they work to rebuild trust in their inner ear.
Astronauts must retrain their bodies during NASA’s 45-day post-mission rehabilitation program.
Another challenge is “fluid shift” — the redistribution of bodily fluids toward the head in microgravity. This can increase calcium levels in urine, raising the risk of kidney stones.
Fluid shifts might also contribute to increased intracranial pressure, altering the shape of the eyeball and causing spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), causing mild-to-moderate vision impairment. Another theory suggests raised carbon dioxide levels are the cause.
But in at least one case, the effects have been beneficial. “I had a pretty severe case of SANS,” NASA astronaut Jessica Meir said before the latest launch.
“When I launched, I wore glasses and contacts, but due to globe flattening, I now have 20/15 vision — most expensive corrective surgery possible. Thank you, taxpayers.”
– Managing radiation –
Radiation levels aboard the ISS are higher than on the ground, as it passes through through the Van Allen radiation belt, but Earth’s magnetic field still provides significant protection.
The shielding is crucial, as NASA aims to limit astronauts’ increased lifetime cancer risk to within three percent.
However, missions to the Moon and Mars will give astronauts far greater exposure, explained astrophysicist Siegfried Eggl.
Future space probes could provide some warning time for high-radiation events, such coronal mass ejections — plasma clouds from the Sun — but cosmic radiation remains unpredictable.
“Shielding is best done with heavy materials like lead or water, but you need vast quantities of it,” said Eggl, of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Artificial gravity, created by rotating spacecraft frames, could help astronauts stay functional upon arrival after a nine-month journey to Mars.
Alternatively, a spacecraft could use powerful acceleration and deceleration that matches the force of Earth’s gravity.
That approach would be speedier — reducing radiation exposure risks — but requires nuclear propulsion technologies that don’t yet exist.
Preventing infighting among teams will be critical, said Joseph Keebler, a psychologist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“Imagine being stuck in a van with anybody for three years: these vessels aren’t that big, there’s no privacy, there’s no backyard to go to,” he said.
“I really commend astronauts that commit to this. It’s an unfathomable job.”
Issam AHMED
Bone and muscle deterioration, radiation exposure, vision impairment — these are just a few of the challenges space travelers face on long-duration missions, even before considering the psychological toll of isolation.
As US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare to return home after nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), some of the health risks they’ve faced are well-documented and managed, while others remain a mystery.
These dangers will only grow as humanity pushes deeper into the solar system, including to Mars, demanding innovative solutions to safeguard the future of space exploration.
– Exercise key –
Despite the attention their mission has received, Wilmore and Williams’ nine-month stay is “par for the course,” said Rihana Bokhari, an assistant professor at the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College.
ISS missions typically last six months, but some astronauts stay up to a year, and researchers are confident in their ability to maintain astronaut health for that duration.
Most people know that lifting weights builds muscle and strengthens bones, but even basic movement on Earth resists gravity, an element missing in orbit.
To counteract this, astronauts use three exercise machines on the ISS, including a 2009-installed resistance device that simulates free weights using vacuum tubes and flywheel cables.
A two-hour daily workout keeps them in shape. “The best results that we have to show that we’re being very effective is that we don’t really have a fracture problem in astronauts when they return to the ground,” though bone loss is still detectable on scans, Bokhari told AFP.
Balance disruption is another issue, added Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair of Aerospace Medicine at the University of Central Florida.
“This happens to every single astronaut, even those who go into space just for a few days,” he told AFP, as they work to rebuild trust in their inner ear.
Astronauts must retrain their bodies during NASA’s 45-day post-mission rehabilitation program.
Another challenge is “fluid shift” — the redistribution of bodily fluids toward the head in microgravity. This can increase calcium levels in urine, raising the risk of kidney stones.
Fluid shifts might also contribute to increased intracranial pressure, altering the shape of the eyeball and causing spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), causing mild-to-moderate vision impairment. Another theory suggests raised carbon dioxide levels are the cause.
But in at least one case, the effects have been beneficial. “I had a pretty severe case of SANS,” NASA astronaut Jessica Meir said before the latest launch.
“When I launched, I wore glasses and contacts, but due to globe flattening, I now have 20/15 vision — most expensive corrective surgery possible. Thank you, taxpayers.”
– Managing radiation –
Radiation levels aboard the ISS are higher than on the ground, as it passes through through the Van Allen radiation belt, but Earth’s magnetic field still provides significant protection.
The shielding is crucial, as NASA aims to limit astronauts’ increased lifetime cancer risk to within three percent.
However, missions to the Moon and Mars will give astronauts far greater exposure, explained astrophysicist Siegfried Eggl.
Future space probes could provide some warning time for high-radiation events, such coronal mass ejections — plasma clouds from the Sun — but cosmic radiation remains unpredictable.
“Shielding is best done with heavy materials like lead or water, but you need vast quantities of it,” said Eggl, of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Artificial gravity, created by rotating spacecraft frames, could help astronauts stay functional upon arrival after a nine-month journey to Mars.
Alternatively, a spacecraft could use powerful acceleration and deceleration that matches the force of Earth’s gravity.
That approach would be speedier — reducing radiation exposure risks — but requires nuclear propulsion technologies that don’t yet exist.
Preventing infighting among teams will be critical, said Joseph Keebler, a psychologist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“Imagine being stuck in a van with anybody for three years: these vessels aren’t that big, there’s no privacy, there’s no backyard to go to,” he said.
“I really commend astronauts that commit to this. It’s an unfathomable job.”
Webb telescope directly observes exoplanet CO2 for first time
By AFP
March 17, 2025
The James Webb Space Telescope separates from Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket after launching from Europe’s Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. — © AFP/File
Daniel Lawler
The James Webb Space Telescope has directly observed the key chemical of carbon dioxide in planets outside of our solar system for the first time, scientists announced Monday.
The gas giants are not capable of hosting extraterrestrial life, but do offer clues in a lingering mystery about how distant planets form, according to a study in The Astrophysical Journal.
The HR 8799 system, 130 light years from Earth, is only 30 million years old — just a baby compared to our solar system’s 4.6 billion years.
A US-led team of researchers used Webb to directly detect carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of all four of the system’s known planets, according to the study.
They used Webb’s coronagraph instruments, which block the light from bright stars to get a better view of the planets revolving around them.
“It’s like putting your thumb up in front of the Sun when you’re looking up at the sky,” lead study author William Balmer, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, told AFP.
Normally, the Webb telescope only detects exoplanets by glimpsing them when they cross in front of their host star.
This “transiting method” was how Webb indirectly detected CO2 in the atmosphere of the gas giant WASP-39 in 2022.
But for latest discovery, “we’re actually seeing the light that is emitted from the planet itself, as opposed to the fingerprint of that light from the host star,” Balmer said.
This is not easy — Balmer compared the process to using a torch to spot fireflies next to a lighthouse.
While these gas giants may not be able to host life, it is possible that they had moons that could, he added.
There are missions currently under way to find out if there could be life in the vast oceans underneath the icy shells of several of Jupiter’s moons.
– ‘Key piece of proof’ –
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is essential for life on Earth, making it a key target in the search for life elsewhere.
Because CO2 condenses into little ice particles in the deep cold of space, its presence can shed light on planetary formation.
Jupiter and Saturn are believed to have first formed from a “bottom up” process in which a bunch of tiny, icy particles came together into a solid core which then sucked in gas to grow into giants, Balmer said.
So the new discovery is a “key piece of proof” that far-off planets can form in a similar way to those in our celestial backyard, Balmer said.
But how common this is throughout the universe remains unclear.
Astronomers have now discovered nearly 6,000 exoplanets, many of them massive — and none of them known to be habitable.
The “huge leap forward we need to make” is to focus on smaller Earth-sized worlds, Balmer said.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman space telescope will use a coronagraph to do that just after its planned launch in 2027.
Balmer hopes to use Webb to observe more four-planet systems, but added that future funding was now in question.
Last week the Trump administration announced that NASA’s chief scientist has been dismissed, indicating that more cuts were to come for the US space agency.
Musk says Starship to depart for Mars at end of 2026
By AFP
By AFP
March 15, 2025
Starship (pictured during a test flight) -- the world's largest and most powerful rocket -- is key to Elon Musk's long-term vision of colonizing Mars - Copyright AFP/File CHANDAN KHANNA
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday its massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026 with Tesla humanoid robot Optimus onboard, adding that human landings could follow “as soon as 2029.”
“Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk said on his X social network.
Musk, who is also the Tesla CEO, brought out the company’s Optimus robots at an event last year.
He said the dancing robots would one day be able to do menial tasks, as well as offer friendship, and expected them to retail for $20,000 to $30,000.
Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — is key to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.
Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall — about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty — Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable.
NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.
But before SpaceX can carry out those missions, it must prove the vehicle is reliable, safe for crew, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling — critical for deep space missions.
– Setback –
SpaceX faced a setback this month when its latest test flight of the Starship prototype ended in a fiery explosion, even as the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test.
It was a near replay of the previous attempt.
Minutes after liftoff and booster separation, a live video feed showed the upper stage tumbling uncontrollably before the signal abruptly cut.
Dramatic footage circulating online showed red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas.
It marked its eighth uncrewed orbital test.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said SpaceX will be required to conduct an investigation before it can fly again.
Despite the setback, SpaceX’s “fail fast, learn fast” approach has helped it become the world’s dominant launch services provider.
But Musk’s status as one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, and his influence over federal regulators, are raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, Musk frequently clashed with the FAA, accusing it of over-regulating SpaceX over safety and environmental concerns.
Trump vowed in his inauguration speech in January “to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
Starship (pictured during a test flight) -- the world's largest and most powerful rocket -- is key to Elon Musk's long-term vision of colonizing Mars - Copyright AFP/File CHANDAN KHANNA
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday its massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026 with Tesla humanoid robot Optimus onboard, adding that human landings could follow “as soon as 2029.”
“Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk said on his X social network.
Musk, who is also the Tesla CEO, brought out the company’s Optimus robots at an event last year.
He said the dancing robots would one day be able to do menial tasks, as well as offer friendship, and expected them to retail for $20,000 to $30,000.
Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — is key to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.
Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall — about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty — Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable.
NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.
But before SpaceX can carry out those missions, it must prove the vehicle is reliable, safe for crew, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling — critical for deep space missions.
– Setback –
SpaceX faced a setback this month when its latest test flight of the Starship prototype ended in a fiery explosion, even as the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test.
It was a near replay of the previous attempt.
Minutes after liftoff and booster separation, a live video feed showed the upper stage tumbling uncontrollably before the signal abruptly cut.
Dramatic footage circulating online showed red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas.
It marked its eighth uncrewed orbital test.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said SpaceX will be required to conduct an investigation before it can fly again.
Despite the setback, SpaceX’s “fail fast, learn fast” approach has helped it become the world’s dominant launch services provider.
But Musk’s status as one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, and his influence over federal regulators, are raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, Musk frequently clashed with the FAA, accusing it of over-regulating SpaceX over safety and environmental concerns.
Trump vowed in his inauguration speech in January “to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
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