https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/index.html * Falcon 9 * Falcon Heavy * Dragon * Starship * Human Spaceflight * Rideshare * SHOP * Falcon 9 * Falcon Heavy * Dragon * Starship * Human Spaceflight * Rideshare * Mission * Launches * Careers * Updates * Shop FLIGHT TEST SN15 WATCH NOW As early as Wednesday, May 5, the SpaceX team will attempt a high-altitude flight test of Starship serial number 15 (SN15) - our fifth high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from Starbase in Texas. SN15 has vehicle improvements across structures, avionics and software, and the engines that will allow more speed and efficiency throughout production and flight: specifically, a new enhanced avionics suite, updated propellant architecture in the aft skirt, and a new Raptor engine design and configuration. Similar to previous high-altitude flight tests of Starship, SN15 will be powered through ascent by three Raptor engines, each shutting down in sequence prior to the vehicle reaching apogee - approximately 10 km in altitude. SN15 will perform a propellant transition to the internal header tanks, which hold landing propellant, before reorienting itself for reentry and a controlled aerodynamic descent. The Starship prototype will descend under active aerodynamic control, accomplished by independent movement of two forward and two aft flaps on the vehicle. All four flaps are actuated by an onboard flight computer to control Starship's attitude during flight and enable precise landing at the intended location. SN15's Raptor engines will then reignite as the vehicle attempts a landing flip maneuver immediately before touching down on the landing pad adjacent to the launch mount. A controlled aerodynamic descent with body flaps and vertical landing capability, combined with in-space refilling, are critical to landing Starship at destinations across the solar system where prepared surfaces or runways do not exist, and returning to Earth. This capability will enable a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration, interplanetary flights and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond. There will be a live feed of the flight test available here that will start a few minutes prior to liftoff. Given the dynamic schedule of development testing, stay tuned to our social media channels for updates as we move toward SpaceX's fifth high-altitude flight test of Starship! SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket (collectively referred to as Starship) represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tonnes to Earth orbit. Overview HEIGHT 120 m / 394 ft DIAMETER 9 m / 30 ft PAYLOAD TO LEO 100+ t / 220+ klb STARSHIP Starship is the fully reusable spacecraft and second stage of the Starship system. It offers an integrated payload section and is capable of carrying passengers and cargo to Earth orbit, planetary destinations, and between destinations on Earth. HEIGHT 50 m / 160 ft DIAMETER 9 m / 30 ft PROPELLANT CAPACITY 1200 t / 2.6 Mlb PAYLOAD CAPACITY 100+ t / 220+ klb SUPER HEAVY The first stage, or booster, of our next-generation launch system has a gross liftoff mass of over 3 million kg and uses sub-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen (CH4/LOX) propellants. The booster will return to land at the launch site on its 6 legs. HEIGHT 70 m / 230 ft DIAMETER 9 m / 30 ft PROPELLANT CAPACITY 3400 t / 6.8 Mlb THRUST 72 MN / 16 Mlbf PAYLOAD Crew| Cargo The Starship payload fairing is 9 m in diameter and 18 m high, resulting in the largest usable payload volume of any current or in development launcher. This payload volume can be configured for both crew and cargo. PAYLOAD VOLUME HEIGHT 18 m / 59 ft PAYLOAD FAIRING DIAMETER 9 m / 30 ft PAYLOAD VOLUME 1,100 m3 / 38,800 ft3 USEFUL MASS 100+ t / 220+ klb The Starship payload fairing is 9 m in diameter and 18 m high, resulting in the largest usable payload volume of any current or in development launcher. This payload volume can be configured for both crew and cargo. PAYLOAD VOLUME HEIGHT 18 m / 59 ft PAYLOAD FAIRING DIAMETER 9 m / 30 ft PAYLOAD VOLUME 1,100 m3 / 38,800 ft3 USEFUL MASS 100+ t / 220+ klb EVENT Starship Update STARSHIP USES SATELLITES Starship is designed to deliver satellites further and at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles. With a payload compartment larger than any fairing currently in operation or development, Starship creates possibilities for new missions, including space telescopes even larger than the James Webb. STARSHIP USES SPACE STATION Starship can deliver both cargo and people to and from the ISS. Starship's fairing provides significant capacity for in-space activities. The aft cargo containers can also host a variety of payloads. STARSHIP USES MOON MISSIONS Developing bases to support future space exploration requires the transport of large amounts of cargo to the Moon for research and human spaceflight development. Starship is designed to carry these building blocks. STARSHIP USES INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT Building cities on Mars will require affordable delivery of significant quantities of cargo and people. The fully reusable Starship system uses in-space propellant transfer to achieve this and carry people on long-duration, interplanetary flights. LANDING ON MARS Starship will enter Mars' atmosphere at 7.5 kilometers per second and decelerate aerodynamically. The vehicle's heat shield is designed to withstand multiple entries, but given that the vehicle is coming into Mars' atmosphere so hot, we still expect to see some ablation of the heat shield (similar to wear and tear on a brake pad). The engineering video below simulates the physics of Mars entry for Starship. Watch Simulation Engines Raptor The Raptor engine is a reusable methalox staged-combustion engine that powers the Starship launch system. Raptor engines began flight testing on the Starship prototype rockets in July 2019, becoming the first full-flow staged combustion rocket engine ever flown. DIAMETER 1.3 m / 4 ft HEIGHT 3.1 m / 10.2 ft THRUST 2 MN / 440 klbf [private_lu] FIRST PRIVATE LUNAR MISSION In 2023, Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and the crew of dearMoon will become the first civilian passengers on a lunar Starship mission, featuring a fly-by of the Moon during their week-long journey. The dearMoon project is currently accepting applications for eight civilians to join Yusaku Maezawa on the Starship flight, an important step toward enabling access for people who dream of traveling to space. Visit the dearMoon website to learn more on how to apply to potentially become a dearMoon crew member! Three raptor engines at the base of Starship Starship prototype test vehicle in flight Starship in Cameron County, TX Artist's rendering of Starship taking off on Mars Artist's rendering of Starship and Super Heavy in flight Artist's rendering of a base on Mars with multiple Starships Artist's rendering of Starship approaching Saturn and its moons A musical concert on board Starship Starship in Boca Chica, TX Artist's rendering of Starship and Super Heavy in flight Download User's Guide [PRESENTATIONS ] SpaceX (c) 2021 TWITTER YOUTUBE INSTAGRAM FLICKR LINKEDIN PRIVACY POLICY