SpaceX ignites giant Starship rocket in crucial pad test

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

SpaceX is a big step closer to sending its giant Starship spacecraft into orbit, completing an engine-firing test at the launch pad. Thirty-one of the 33 first-stage booster engines ignited simultaneously for about 10 seconds Thursday in south Texas. SpaceX’s Elon Musk says that would have been good enough to reach orbit. Musk estimates Starship’s first orbital test flight could occur as soon as March.  NASA is counting on the mammoth Starship to land astronauts on the moon in a few years. Further down the road, Musk wants to use it to send crowds to Mars.