Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk said Starship could reshape physics research by allowing scientists to launch far larger telescopes into orbit and eventually build "giant ones on the Moon," days after the rocket reached orbit for the first time.
Starship Could Change Space Telescope Design
"Starship will expand the aperture of physics research by placing much larger telescopes in orbit and giant ones on the Moon," Musk wrote on X Wednesday.
The idea rests on Starship’s payload capacity. SpaceX says the reusable vehicle is designed to carry more than 100 metric tons to orbit, while its 9-meter diameter gives spacecraft designers more volume than conventional launch systems.
Those constraints matter for astronomy. NASA has previously stated that the James Webb Space Telescope’s 6.5-meter primary mirror was too large to fit inside its Ariane 5 rocket, forcing engineers to divide it into 18 segments and fold the observatory.
NASA notes that larger mirrors collect more light, improving sensitivity and allowing telescopes to resolve fainter objects. Starship could therefore give future observatories more freedom to use bigger mirrors while reducing packaging compromises imposed by smaller rocket fairings.
Orbital Debut Strengthens Starship’s Scientific Case
Musk’s comments came two days after Starship Flight 14 became the program’s first mission to reach orbit and deliver operational payloads. The spacecraft deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites despite an upper-stage engine shutting down early, extending a milestone previewed when Musk said Starship’s first orbital flight would carry operational V3 spacecraft.
Moon Could Become New Astronomy Platform
The Moon could offer another scientific advantage. NASA says its atmosphere is only an extremely sparse exosphere, while the lunar far side is permanently shielded from Earth’s radio noise. That makes it attractive for observations difficult or impossible from Earth.
In May 2021, NASA revealed that it has studied a Lunar Crater Radio Telescope concept that would place a large wire-mesh reflector inside a far-side crater. The agency says such an observatory could examine radio wavelengths below 30 MHz that Earth’s ionosphere blocks, opening a window on the universe’s "Dark Ages" before the first stars and galaxies formed.
Starship remains under development. Reuters reported that the Flight 14 engine failure is under investigation and could affect NASA’s lunar timelines.
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