SpaceX’s Starship rocket system: Everything you need to know

When it launches, this orbital test mission will be the first launch of SpaceX’s fully-stacked Starship rocket system, which includes the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy Rocket powered by 33 Merlin rocket engines.

Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/Ry25Uuvknh

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 14, 2023

What is the Starship?

Together, the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket are collectively referred to as Starship. They represent the next generation of SpaceX’s launch systems, designed to carry both astronauts and cargo to Earth’s orbit, the Moon, Mars, and maybe even beyond.

After its testing is complete and it is flight-ready, Starship could become the most powerful launch system ever developed by humanity, with the capability to carry a payload of up to 150 metric tonnes in “fully-reusable” mode and 250 metric tonnes in “expendable mode,” according to SpaceX.

What is the Starship spacecraft?

The Starship spacecraft is the second stage of the Starship system. It will have an integrated payload section that is designed to carry both crew and cargo to their destination in the solar system. According to SpaceX, Starship is also capable of point-to-point transport on Earth.

The Starship spacecraft will be about 50 metres tall and 9 metres wide. It will have a payload capacity of between 100 tonnes and 150 tonnes. It will be powered by three normal Raptor engines and three Raptor engines specially modified for use in the vacuum of space. Together, this will give it a thrust capacity of 1,500 tonnes of force.

The Starship spacecraft. (Image credit: SpaceX)

What is Super Heavy?

The Super Heavy booster is the first stage of Starship. According to SpaceX, Starship will be completely reusable and after launch, it will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere to land back at the launch site.

It will be about 69 metres tall, 9 metres wide and will have the capacity to hold about 3,400 tons of propellant. It will be powered by 33 Raptor engines that will together provide close to 7,600 tons of thrust.

The SpaceX Super Heavy first stage of the Starship system. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Raptor engine

Just like the rest of Starship, the Raptor engine will also be reusable. It is a staged-combustion engine that will be powered by a mixture of methane and liquid oxygen. Each raptor engine will be capable of providing 230 tonnes of force, which is more than twice that of the Merlin engines that power SpaceX’s Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy spacecraft.

It will be about 3.1 metres tall and will have a diameter of about 1.3 metres at its widest. The Super Heavy first stage will have 33 Raptor engines, 13 in the centre and 20 along the perimeter.

The Raptor engine. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The R-Vac Raptor engine specially modified for use in space. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Raptor-vacuum (R-Vac)

The Raptor Vacuum (RVac) engine will have a design similar to the standard Raptor engine. The difference with RVac is that it will feature a larger expansion nozzle so that the engine’s efficiency in space is maximised. The Starship spacecraft will be powered by three RVacs along with three standard raptor engines.