SpaceX · In Development · us · Launch Vehicle
Starship / Super Heavy
Fully reusable two-stage megarocket targeting 100+ t to LEO; booster tower-catch operational as of IFT-7/8.
Verified 2026-06-17 · First flight 2023-04-20
Systems cutaway
33× Raptor 2/3 engines on Super Heavy booster (sea-level); 6× Raptor Vacuum on Starship upper stage; methane/LOX (methalox); 80,800 kN total liftoff thrust.
Stainless steel 304L construction; 9 m diameter; ~71 m Super Heavy booster + ~52 m Starship upper stage; heat shield tiles on ship belly.
Autonomous flight termination; Starlink-derived communication backhaul; SpaceX proprietary flight computers.
Super Heavy booster caught by Mechazilla tower arms (first successful catch IFT-5 Oct 2024; repeated on IFT-7 Jan 2025, IFT-8 Mar 2025); Ship targets propulsive splashdown/return-to-launch-site.
Specs & Metrics
- Payload to LEO ↑ better
- 100,000 kg
- design target, fully reusable; up to 200,000 kg expendable
- Maximum payload mass deliverable to low Earth orbit (~200–400 km circular), in the vehicle's stated reference configuration.
- Liftoff Thrust ↑ better
- 80800 kN
- Total first-stage thrust at liftoff (sea-level), in kilonewtons, summing all active engines and solid strap-ons.
- Liftoff Mass ↓ better
- 5000 t
- Total vehicle mass at liftoff including propellant, payload, and all stages, in metric tonnes.
- Vehicle Height ↓ better
- 124 m
- Full stack height at liftoff, in metres, including fairing or spacecraft.
Subsystems
33× Raptor 2/3 engines on Super Heavy booster (sea-level); 6× Raptor Vacuum on Starship upper stage; methane/LOX (methalox); 80,800 kN total liftoff thrust.
Stainless steel 304L construction; 9 m diameter; ~71 m Super Heavy booster + ~52 m Starship upper stage; heat shield tiles on ship belly.
Autonomous flight termination; Starlink-derived communication backhaul; SpaceX proprietary flight computers.
Super Heavy booster caught by Mechazilla tower arms (first successful catch IFT-5 Oct 2024; repeated on IFT-7 Jan 2025, IFT-8 Mar 2025); Ship targets propulsive splashdown/return-to-launch-site.
Program roadmap
- achieved
Starship V3 first flight with Starlink simulator payload deployment (Flight 12, ~22 Starlink simulators deployed)
2026-05↗ - planned
In-space propellant transfer flight test
2026↗ - planned
Long-duration on-orbit flight test supporting NASA HLS architecture
2026↗ - planned
Operational Starlink V2 launch on Starship
2027↗ - slipped
NASA Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing (Starship HLS)
2027↗