DevelopmentSpaceXUnited StatesFirst Launch: 2023-04-20
Starship
Fully reusable super heavy-lift rocket designed for complete reusability, Moon bases, and Mars colonization.
Starship is a fully reusable, two-stage super heavy-lift launch vehicle currently under active development and orbital flight testing by SpaceX. Consisting of the Super Heavy first stage booster and the Starship spacecraft upper stage, it is the tallest, most powerful rocket ever flown in human history, generating over 16.7 million pounds of thrust from 33 methane-fueled full-flow staged combustion Raptor engines.
SpaceStats Reliability & Flight Record
TOTAL LAUNCHES
6
Orbital missions
SUCCESSFUL
4
2 failures
SUCCESS RATE
66.7%
LANDINGS
3
Reusable First Stage
SpaceXFeatured Photography
Full Starship & Super Heavy Stack on OLM
SpaceX
Architecture Analysis & Development Story
Engineering DossierHistory & Development
Originally unveiled under early project names including MCT, BFR, and Starship, the vehicle was designed from inception to achieve 100% full reusability for both stages. Early suborbital atmospheric hops in Starbase, Texas demonstrated the signature 'belly-flop' aerodynamic descent and flip-to-vertical landing maneuvers. Integrated orbital flight tests began in 2023, rapidly advancing stage separation via hot-staging rings, controlled oceanic soft splashdowns, in-space propellant transfer demos, and launch tower 'chopstick' mechanical catch recoveries of the Super Heavy booster.
Operational Record & Mission Impact
Selected by NASA as the Human Landing System (HLS) for the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions to return humanity to the lunar surface. Starship integrated flight tests have successfully proven hot-staging, controlled Super Heavy tower catches, and orbital velocity insertion.
Key Engineering Innovations & Design Highlights
33 Raptor 3 engines on Super Heavy producing over 74 MN (16.7 million lbf) of thrust using subcooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen (Methalox).
Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) engine cycle, eliminating problematic dynamic shaft seals and achieving extreme combustion efficiency.
Stainless steel 304L/30X alloy airframe offering superior cryogenic ductility and high-temperature strength during atmospheric re-entry.
Mechazilla launch tower recovery system using giant robotic catch arms ('chopsticks') to catch both returning Super Heavy boosters and Starship upper stages mid-air without landing legs.
Technical & Propulsion Specifications
Operator: SpaceXVehicle Dimensions & Mass
- Overall Height
- 121.3 m
- Body Diameter
- 9 m
- Gross Lift-off Mass
- 5,000 t
- Stages Count
- 2
- Fairing Diameter
- 9 m
Super Heavy Booster
- Main Engines
- 33x Raptor 2 / Raptor 3
- Propellant
- Subcooled LOX / Liquid Methane (CH4)
- SL Thrust
- 73,500 kN
- Vacuum Isp
- 350s
- Dry Mass
- 200 t
- Recovery Mode
- Catch_Tower
Starship Spacecraft / Upper Stage
- Upper Engine
- 6x 3x Raptor Sea-Level + 3x Raptor Vacuum (RVac)
- LEO Capacity
- 150 t
- GTO Capacity
- 63 t
- TLI (Lunar)
- 50 t
- Cost per Launch
- $100,000,000
- LEO Price / kg
- ~$667 / kg
Fleet Deployment & Economics Suite
Model Satellite Constellations or Payload Charters with Starship
Calculate multi-plane Walker Delta fleet costs, fairing dispenser limits, launch cadence timelines, and single-mission rideshare economics.
Launch Complexes & Spaceports Network
2 Active Launch PadsOrbital Pad A / Pad B
Starbase Orbital Launch Complex
Boca Chica, Texas, USA
25.997°N, -97.157°E
Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A Starship Mount)
Kennedy Space Center
Florida, USA
28.608°N, -80.604°E
Milestone & Historic Missions
Key Flight Achievements2023-04-20Partial Failure
Integrated Flight Test 1 (IFT-1)
Customer: SpaceX
First integrated flight test clearing the orbital launch pad and demonstrating stage clearance.
2024-10-13Success
Integrated Flight Test 5 (IFT-5)
Customer: SpaceX
Historic first mid-air mechanical catch of the Super Heavy booster returning to the launch tower chopsticks.
High-Resolution Photo Gallery & Media
6 photos & renders of Starship
View Fullscreen
Pad2023-04-15Full Starship & Super Heavy Stack on OLM
121-meter Starship and Super Heavy fully stacked on the Orbital Launch Mount at Starbase.
SpaceX
Source 
View Fullscreen
Landing2024-10-13Super Heavy Booster Catch by Mechazilla
Super Heavy booster caught in mid-air by the Mechazilla chopstick arms during Flight 5 recovery at Starbase.
SpaceX
Source 
View Fullscreen
Liftoff2024-10-13Starship Integrated Flight Test 5 Liftoff
33 Raptor engines igniting producing 16.7 million pounds of thrust during Starship Flight 5.
SpaceX
Source 
View Fullscreen
Space2024-06-06Starship Reentry Atmospheric Plasma Glow
Starship spacecraft encountering 1,400°C atmospheric re-entry heating and plasma glow broadcast live via Starlink.
SpaceX
Source 
View Fullscreen
Landing2024-06-06Super Heavy Precision Water Landing
Super Heavy booster executing landing burn and hovering above the Gulf of Mexico waters during Flight 4.
SpaceX
Source 
View Fullscreen
Pad2023-08-20Starbase Rocket Garden & Facility
Starship prototypes and production facilities against the South Texas sunset.
Wikimedia Commons contributor
Source SpaceStats Launch Manifest & Database
2 mission records cataloged in database
| Flight / Mission | Orbit | Launch Date | Pad / Location | Booster / Landing | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starship | Starlink Group 31-2 (Starship Flight 15) Starlink Group 31-2 (Starship Flight 15) | LEO | Nov 13, 2026 | Orbital Launch Pad 2 SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA | Booster 22 ASDS | TBD | Details → |
Starship | Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14) Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14) | LEO | Sep 28, 2026 | Orbital Launch Pad 2 SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA | Booster 21 ASDS | GO | Details → |