SpaceX will soon have a whole fleet of shiny silver Starship prototypes(原型), if all goes according to the plan. Elon Musk gave his annual update about Starship and Super Heavy, the reusable spaceship and rocket, respectively, that the company is building to help colonize Mars. The presentation took place at SpaceX s South Texas site and featured the 165-foot-tall Starship Mkl- the first full-size Starship prototype, whose assembly(组装) was completed just days before Musk's talk.
SpaceX aims to launch the stainless-steel Mk1 on an uncrewed, 12- mile- high test flight in the next month or two, Musk said. And a much more ambitious journey should follow in relatively short order. “I mean, this is going to sound totally unrealistic, but I think we want to try to reach orbit in less than six months.” But the Mk1 won't make that milestone flight. That honour will be likely to go to Mk4 or Mk5 Starship version, Musk added.
Starship Mk2 is already under construction and should be finished within the next couple of months at most. SpaceX plans to begin building the Mk3 at Boca Chica in about a month, and that prototype will likely be ready to fly about three months from now. The Mk4 will take shape in Florida shortly after that- and it could end up being the first Starship vehicle to circle Earth.
Like most of Musk' s plans, these construction schedules are quite ambitious. SpaceX spent a lot of time on the Mk1, after all; construction work on that vehicle goes all the way back to at least December 2018. But the company has learned a lot during the time, so getting a Starship to orbit by the spring of 2020 should be achievable, Must said.
The Mk1 and Mk2 Starships are equipped with three of SpaceX’s next- generation Raptor engines. Versions starting with Mk3
however, will be powered by six Raptors, just like the final, operational Starship, which Musk has said will be capable of carrying up to 100 passengers.
At present SpaceX is building one Raptor every eight to ten days but should pick up the pace obviously in the coming months. The record will skyrocket when SpaceX starts building the Super Heavy, which won't happen until Starship Mk4 is done. The goal is to get to one Raptor per day by early 2020 at the latest.
The final Starship could take to the skies very soon, if the testing campaign continues to go well. And Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has booked a crewed flight around the moon aboard the system, with a target launch date of 2023.
12. What can we learn about the Starship Mk1?
A. It is an imaginary passenger-carrying vehicle.
B. It is an unmanned reusable large spaceship.
C. It is a scaled-down version of Super Heavy.
D. It is a stainless-steel spaceship under construction.
13. How will Mk5 be powered according to the text?
A. By three of SpaceX's next generation Raptor engines.
B. By four of SpaceX' s next- generation Raptor engines.
C. By five of SpaceX's next- generation Raptor engines.
D. By six of SpaceX s next- generation Raptor engines.
14. Which of the following is true about Mk4 compared with the former Starships?
A. It will take up to 100 passengers to space.
B. It is the first to make a test flight orbiting Mars.
C. It has been under construction for about one year.
D. It is expected to go into Earth's orbit before long.
15. Why is Yusaku Maezawa mentioned in the last paragraph?
A. The project of SpaceX is promising.
B. Space exploration has caught on worldwide.
C. SpaceX takes the lead in the aerospace field.
D. More financial support is desperately needed.
【答案】
SpaceX aims to launch the stainless-steel Mk1 on an uncrewed, 12- mile- high test flight in the next month or two, Musk said. And a much more ambitious journey should follow in relatively short order. “I mean, this is going to sound totally unrealistic, but I think we want to try to reach orbit in less than six months.” But the Mk1 won't make that milestone flight. That honour will be likely to go to Mk4 or Mk5 Starship version, Musk added.
Starship Mk2 is already under construction and should be finished within the next couple of months at most. SpaceX plans to begin building the Mk3 at Boca Chica in about a month, and that prototype will likely be ready to fly about three months from now. The Mk4 will take shape in Florida shortly after that- and it could end up being the first Starship vehicle to circle Earth.
Like most of Musk' s plans, these construction schedules are quite ambitious. SpaceX spent a lot of time on the Mk1, after all; construction work on that vehicle goes all the way back to at least December 2018. But the company has learned a lot during the time, so getting a Starship to orbit by the spring of 2020 should be achievable, Must said.
The Mk1 and Mk2 Starships are equipped with three of SpaceX’s next- generation Raptor engines. Versions starting with Mk3
however, will be powered by six Raptors, just like the final, operational Starship, which Musk has said will be capable of carrying up to 100 passengers.At present SpaceX is building one Raptor every eight to ten days but should pick up the pace obviously in the coming months. The record will skyrocket when SpaceX starts building the Super Heavy, which won't happen until Starship Mk4 is done. The goal is to get to one Raptor per day by early 2020 at the latest.
The final Starship could take to the skies very soon, if the testing campaign continues to go well. And Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has booked a crewed flight around the moon aboard the system, with a target launch date of 2023.
12. What can we learn about the Starship Mk1?
A. It is an imaginary passenger-carrying vehicle.
B. It is an unmanned reusable large spaceship.
C. It is a scaled-down version of Super Heavy.
D. It is a stainless-steel spaceship under construction.
13. How will Mk5 be powered according to the text?
A. By three of SpaceX's next generation Raptor engines.
B. By four of SpaceX' s next- generation Raptor engines.
C. By five of SpaceX's next- generation Raptor engines.
D. By six of SpaceX s next- generation Raptor engines.
14. Which of the following is true about Mk4 compared with the former Starships?
A. It will take up to 100 passengers to space.
B. It is the first to make a test flight orbiting Mars.
C. It has been under construction for about one year.
D. It is expected to go into Earth's orbit before long.
15. Why is Yusaku Maezawa mentioned in the last paragraph?
A. The project of SpaceX is promising.
B. Space exploration has caught on worldwide.
C. SpaceX takes the lead in the aerospace field.
D. More financial support is desperately needed.
【答案】
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