Starship

Information

Starship Super Heavy (usually referred to as just Starship) is a developmental rocket designed and tested by SpaceX. The aim of Starship is to become the world’s first fully and rapidly reusable rocket building on the foundations laid by Falcon 9. In doing so, Starship will drive down the cost of space launches allowing SpaceX to fulfil its ultimate mission – making life a multi-planet species. SpaceX have taken a rapid iteration approach to Starship’s development with relentless building, testing, and improving since the first major works for Starship began in 2019. This method analysts believe has allowed SpaceX to develop Starship cheaper and faster than were it to take a conventional approach. Starship’s maiden flight launched on April 20th 2023. Each test flight so far has aimed to build on the last as SpaceX begin to hone in on operational flights of Starship. Starship comprises of two stages – the first stage known as Super Heavy and the second stage known as Starship or sometimes just “the ship”. SpaceX completed the first recovery of a Super Heavy booster on Starship’s Fifth Flight Test on October 13th 2024. The first re-flight of a Super Heavy booster is scheduled for Flight 9. Ship recoveries are expected to occur in the near future. Furthermore, Starship has been selected as the vehicle set to return humans to the moon by aiding in NASA’s Artemis program; Starship is expected to ferry astronauts between the lunar surface and lunar orbit. After Starship’s first successful flight (Flight 3), Starship became the first American-made rocket to successfully launch into orbit using methane as a fuel. Currently, Starship is the tallest and most powerful launch vehicle ever produced.