The Starship System is the largest-fully-reusable transportation system under development by SpaceX. Designed to have robust capabilities and safety features found in all other vehicles developed by the company, this mega rocket will carry in excess of 100 metric tons to Low Earth orbit — it will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever built.
The Starship System has two main components — the Super Heavy rocket (booster) and the Starship (spacecraft). The Super Heavy rocket will be powered by 33 Raptor engines, while Starship will transport crew and cargo to orbit and Earth, Moon, and Mars landing sites.
What makes it different from other rockets with similar power? Like all vehicles developed by SpaceX, Starship is a fully integrated and reusable launch vehicle. Its current design includes an integrated payload section which is expected to evolve rapidly to meet the demands of near and future missions. In its uncrewed configuration, Starship can carry satellites, large observatories, cargo, refueling tanks, or other unmanned assets.
The full-stacked Starship System reaches 394 ft in height and is 9 m in diameter. The Super Heavy rocket is 230 ft tall and can provide 17 Mlbf of thrust. The Starship is also fully reusable and measures 164 ft in height; by itself, it can provide a thrust of 3.2 Mlbf.
In 2019, SpaceX started testing its first flight prototype and Raptor engines. By 2021, Starship SN15 successfully completed its first high-altitude test, reaching an altitude of 10 km and safely landing back on its landing pad. After this successful flight where SpaceX gathered all the needed data for its first orbital test, it focused on fully integrating the launch vehicle at its “Starbase” in Boca Chica, Texas, and building the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The next step would be to perform a 90 minute mission that will start in Florida and end with a splashdown off the coast of Hawaii.
Although some other tests will come up after this one, by the year 2024 Starship should be ready to support the Artemis III mission, bringing back humans to the Moon.
The vision and hard work of one man made SpaceX possible. His goal is not to make a profit but rather to build capital to archive SpaceX's mission: make humanity multiplanetary[2]. His success will advance humanity to a new era - where space exploration is possible and available to all. Imagine if we had two or more people with that vision. The world would be a different and better place to live.
[2] https://www.spacex.com/mission/