SpaceX Starship (spacecraft)

Starship

Starship prototype SN20 at the suborbital launch site; the distinctive stainless steel structure is visible as well as the edges of the dark thermal protection tiles that cover the other side of the vehicle.
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Operator	SpaceX
Applications	Crew and cargo interplanetary transport Refueling operations Point-to-point transport on Earth
Website	www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
Specifications
Spacecraft type	Crewed, reusable
Launch mass	1,300 t (2,866,000 lb)[a]
Dry mass	~100 t (220,000 lb)[2]
Crew capacity	Up to 100 (planned)
Volume	1,000 m3 (35,000 cu ft)
Dimensions
Height	50.3 m (165 ft)
Diameter	9 m (30 ft)
Wingspan	17 m (56 ft)
Capacity
Payload to LEO[1]
Mass	Reusable: 100–150 t (220,000–331,000 lb) Expendable: Up to 250 t (551,000 lb)
Production
Status	In development
Launched	3
Retired	3
Failed	1 (IFT-2)
Lost	2 (IFT-1, IFT-3)
Maiden launch	April 20, 2023
Related spacecraft
Derivatives	Starship HLS
Flown with	SpaceX Super Heavy
Starship
Powered by	3 Raptor engines 3 Raptor vacuum engines
Maximum thrust	1,500 tf (14,700 kN; 3,310,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	327 s (3.21 km/s) (sea-level) 363 s (3.56 km/s) (vacuum)[3]
Propellant	Liquid oxygen / Methane

Starship is a spacecraft and second stage^[1] under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. Stacked atop its booster, Super Heavy, it composes the identically named Starship super heavy-lift space vehicle. The spacecraft is designed to transport both crew and cargo to a variety of destinations, including Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and potentially beyond. It is intended to enable long duration interplanetary flights for a crew of up to 100 people.^[1] It will also be capable of point-to-point transport on Earth, enabling travel to anywhere in the world in less than an hour. Furthermore, the spacecraft will be used to refuel other Starship vehicles to allow them to reach higher orbits and other space destinations. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, estimated in a tweet that 8 launches would be needed to completely refuel a Starship in low Earth orbit, extrapolating this from Starship's payload to orbit and how much fuel a fully fueled Starship contains.^[4] To land on bodies without an atmosphere, such as the Moon, Starship will fire its engines and thrusters to slow down.^[5]

Development began in 2012, when Elon Musk described a plan to build a reusable rocket system with substantially greater capabilities than the Falcon 9 and the planned Falcon Heavy. The rocket evolved through many design and name changes. On July 25, 2019, the Starhopper prototype performed the first successful flight at SpaceX Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas.^[6] The SN15 prototype became the first full-size test spacecraft to take off and land successfully in May 2021.^[7] On April 20, 2023, Ship 24 and Booster 7 lifted off the pad, the first time the booster and Starship flew together as a fully integrated stack. On November 18, 2023, Ship 25 and Booster 9 launched, successfully completing hot-staging, during the launch, Ship 25 passed the Kármán Line, becoming the first Starship to reach space, and also became the heaviest object to ever reach space, before exploding at 148 km.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} On March 14, 2024, Ship 28 and Booster 10 lifted off the launch pad, successfully achieving its second hot-stage separation, as well as a full-duration ascent burn of the second stage. S28 then proceeded to reenter Earth's atmosphere at orbital velocity, disintegrating during reentry 49 minutes after launch.^[13][14] In April 2024, Elon Musk announced two new versions of Starship, Starship V2 and Starship V3. Both versions will be taller and will have increased thrust.^[15]

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