Elon Musk unveils SpaceX's BFR spaceship main body tool

By Sophie Chapman
Founder of the US-based aerospace manufacturer, Elon Musk, has previously announced aims for his firm to reach Mars within a few years. However, Musk h...

Founder of the US-based aerospace manufacturer, Elon Musk, has previously announced aims for his firm to reach Mars within a few years.

However, Musk has yet to unveil many aspects of the rockets that he aims to reach the planet with – until 8 April.

 The founder posted a picture on his Instagram account of what he dubbed the “main body tool for the BFR interplanetary spaceship”.

The tool is thought to be a manufacturing mould used to weave materials, such as carbon fibre, in the shape of the upper stage of the rocket.

SEE ALSO:

The mould is anticipated to be located in a tent on an 18-acre plot at the Port of Los Angeles – a recent connection to SpaceX, working as a facility for the behemoth rocket.

The Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) spaceship is set to be 157.5 metres long and 30 metres wide and will host at least 100 passengers, announced by Musk in a talk last year.

The rocket on the BFR will feature 31 Raptor engines, will be able to loft 150 tonnes to low Earth orbit, and will be fully reusable.

Musk confirmed at the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas, that the firm aims for the spaceship to be ready for shore test flights by 2019.

Share

Featured Articles

Fictiv’s Sustainability in Manufacturing report

Nate Evans, Fictiv Co-Founder, on results featured in Fictiv’s Sustainability in Manufacturing report, from renewable energy to carbon reduction strategies

Interview with Matthieu Rambaud, CEO of TRIGO Group

Matthieu Rambaud, CEO of TRIGO Group, is leading the manufacturing technology evolution across the company, while navigating AI & supply chain challenges

Applying the metaverse to the manufacturing industry

Discover six ways in which the ‘industrial metaverse’ can benefit the manufacturing industry to work faster, more efficiently, and at lower costs

Managing supply & demand in pharma manufacturing

Procurement & Supply Chain

Trend Micro on the future of cybersecurity in manufacturing

Technology

How industrial manufacturers prioritise product development

Technology