Elon Musk directs SpaceX staff to make Starship rocket on 'top priority'

New York : Elon Musk has reportedly asked his SpaceX staff to pace up the making process of Starship rocket on top priority.

In an internal email accessed by CNBC, Musk urged SpaceX employees to accelerate progress on its next-generation Starship rocket.

Starship is the heaviest rocket for space tourism and long-distance trips and represents a truly reusable rocket with fast turnaround times that make spaceflight more accessible.

Within a year, the rocket has faced four failed tests. 

"Please consider the top SpaceX priority (apart from anything that could reduce Dragon return risk) to be Starship," Musk wrote in the email over the weekend.

SpaceX wrote new dimensions for its future after it carried two astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley successfully to the International Space Station for the US on May 31.

SpaceX is developing Starship with the goal of launching as many as 100 people at a time on missions to the moon and Mars. "We need to accelerate Starship progress," Musk said.

"For those considering moving, we will always offer a dedicated SpaceX aircraft to shuttle people," he added.

Major Failures of Starship in One Year

In April, a prototype of Starship 'SN3' broke apart during a pressure test at the company's test site in Boca Chica, Texas. The explosion happened as liquid nitrogen was being poured into the rocket's propellant tanks.

On November 20 last year, the Mk1 prototype blew its top during a cryogenic pressure test and on February 28, the SN2 prototype exploded at the base during a cryogenic pressurization test.