The Ship is Starship's second stage (upper stage), which is the stage that goes to orbit, normally carrying a payload. Different variants of the ship are planned to be made. It only has up to GTO capability without refueling, to be reusable, it needs a Tanker Ship to go to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
The payload capacity of the Starship launch configuration with a Block 2 Super Heavy Booster and Block 2 Ship is unknown, however below are the Specs from April 2024 (of the ship) for launch of a Block 1 Ship on a Block 1 booster. The payload capacity of the full Block 2 launch system, as described in April 2024, is expected to be around 100 tons.
| Height | 50 m / 165 ft |
| Diameter | 9 m / 29.5 ft |
| Propellant capacitiy | 1,200 t / 2.6 Mlb |
| Thrust | 1,500 tf / 3.3Mlbf |
| Payload capacity | ~50 tons |
| Heat shield tiles | 18 000 hexagonal tiles |
Ship Versions[]
Evolution of ship prototypes (the fully built ones)
Since the first Starship prototype (Starhopper) began construction in 2018, massive changes have been made and often between vehicles of the same generation, however, based on tweets from Elon Musk and clear large physical differences, there have generally been agreed on three clear divisions of: SN3 to SN6; SN8 to SN14 and; SN15 to SN19. With orbital prototypes there is a more official division of Version 1, 2 and 3 however it is important to note that even within Version 1, countless changes have been made such as the introduction of Raptor 2s, the addition of wicking membranes (see NASA paper) in the Ship's tanks which guide propellant in zero-G, and other changes based on flight data.
Specs of Starship versions as expected in April 2024.
Early Prototypes[]
SpaceX originally built prototypes for suborbital hops (like the Starhopper, SN5, SN6), and high altitude suborbital flight test (SN8, SN9, SN10, SN11 and SN15), this was done to test the performance of the Raptor engine, and then, ensure the ship could correctly perform its bellyflop and landing sequence.
Block 1[]
Block 1 ships were made for orbital testing. SN20/Ship 20 is generally considered to be the first Block 1 ship. Block 1 ships include full sized and functional heat shield tiles, no landing legs and Raptor Vacuum engines. From Ship 24 (S24) onwards, Raptor 2 engines were used, which were more efficient than Raptor 1, as Raptor 2 produced more thrust with the same fuel consumption, and is lighter and reduces complexity. Ships 24 and beyond also added a Pez dispenser style payload system used to deploy Starlink satellites, although in ships 24 and 25, they were welded shut and were nonfunctional. The system was tested on Flight 3 by simply opening and closing the door in space, but never actually used to deploy any payload. Further Block 1 ships did not use this system. Ship 30 (S30) debuted a new heat shield system featuring upgraded tiles and a backup ablative layer intended to protect the ship even if a tile is lost, and Ship 31 (S31), the last Block 1 ship to fly, also debuted a new heat shield layout with some tiles removed towards the edge.
Block 2[]
New shape of fwd flaps. c WAI @GroundTruthPics
Block 2 is the current iteration of the Ship, with Ship 33 (S33) being the first. Originally, Block 2 ships were planned to be equipped with Raptor 3 engines, however, current operational Block 2 ships are equipped with Raptor 2 engines, potentially with some unknown upgrades. Block 2 is expected to be able to carry around 100 tons to low Earth orbit with full reusability and around 200 tons in an expendable configuration (however there are no current plans for this option to be used other than for the Human Landing System (HLS)).
The Block 2 ship features an increase in height of about 1.8 meters, equivalent to a ring.[1] Block 2 ships also feature redesigned forward flaps, which are smaller, thinner and more leeward, addressing some heating and aerodynamic issues observed with Block 1 ships. Block 2 ships have a shorter payload bay (3 rings instead of 5) to free up more space for propellent, resulting in an approximately 300 additional tons of propellant (1200 metric tons increased to 1500 metric tons on block 2).[2] The payload bay is now also partially moved inside the nosecone to maximize the usage of space inside the Ship, and the 3 Raptor Vacuum engines now have their separate downcomers, while the 3 center Raptor engines still share a single downcomer. This new downcomer design has been attributed to some issues with the Block 2 ship design following the premature conclusions of the first 2 Block 2 ship flights (not counting Starship Flight Test 9 which reached SECO but did not make it through reentry).
Regarding the forward flaps, Elon Musk stated after flight test 5, where there still were issues with the flaps burning through at reentry: "I’m so glad we finally fixed the forward flap design! The old one was killing me. Too large and heavy and positioned at 180 degrees, requiring large static aero and not fully stowed, so that pushes the nose backwards during the high heating hypersonic phase of flight, which is the opposite of what you want."[3]
Block 3[]
Block 3 is expected to be able to take approximately 200 tons to low Earth orbit with full reusability and approximately 400 tons in an expendable configuration. V3 is expected to be the version that will have 6 Raptor Vacuum engines, making the Ship have 9 engines in total. V3 is also expected to be 20 meters taller.[4] Elon Musk updated in September 2024, likely talking about V3: "Max payload to standard Earth reference orbit is actually ~180 tons for Starship when it is fully reusable and ~300 tons if expendable. Latter number is the apples-to-apples number comparing Starship to Saturn V. >100 tons to the Starlink orbit is the operational spec minimum."[5] According to Elon Musk, Version 3 will have the same diameter of 9m, but will be longer and have at least two versions. At this occasion, he also updated on the tanker variant.[6].
Also likely in reference to Block 3, Elon Musk indicated in December 2024 that a further ship stretch from Block 2 (so likely Block 3) was expected in around 12 months.[7] In January 2025, NASA still expected "SpaceX to debut Version 3 (necessary for in-orbit refueling) and demonstrate cryogenic propellant transfer before the end of the year."[8] SpaceX furthermore confirmed during the launch stream of Flight Test 8 on 6 March 2025 that this version will use Raptor 3 engines.[9] In March 2025, Elon Musk confirmed that teams are "honing in on the V3 Starship design" and that they are "to a Starship launch rate of once a week" in approximately 12 months time.[10]
Block 4[]
Although there's no official information, Elon Musk said in a tweet that before increasing the diameter, the Starship will stretch 20 meters. This indicates SpaceX's will to make a wider starship in future, possibly being Block 4. It is unclear if SpaceX is planning to increase the booster's diameter as well.
Ship Variants[]
Notes:
- These images and illustrations are based on the V1, before Elon announcing bigger and improved versions, however, the looks aren't going to be much different.
- The Sub-orbital variant is no longer needed, so it was discontinued, due that SpaceX moved to orbital testing.
- However, the crew variant will do earth to earth travel, similar to planes, the difference being it can travel around 10000 km under an hour.
| Variant | Details |
|---|---|
| Suborbital | The Suborbital variant features few to no heatshield tiles and was used for testing the ship before moving to full stack testing. |
| Starlink | The Starlink variant of the Ship features a PEZ dispenser style system for releasing Starlink satellites. |
| Expendable | Expendable Starships feature no heatshield tiles or flaps, making them much lighter than re-usable ships. Therefore they can take heavier payloads to space. |
| Starship Tanker Variant | The tanker variant of Starship will serve a vital role in refueling other Starship spacecraft in space. It enables extended missions by providing the necessary propellant and oxidiser required to power deep space exploration and interplanetary travel. The Tanker variant ensures the sustainability of long-duration missions, allowing Starships to refuel and continue their journeys to destinations beyond Earth's orbit. |
| Human Landing System (HLS) | The Human Landing System variant of Starship is a crucial component of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a sustainable presence there. This variant is specifically designed to transport astronauts safely from lunar orbit to the Moon's surface and back. It will require many tanker flights to re-fuel it for the trip. This version of the Ship is not designed to return to Earth, but instead to ferry astronauts and cargo between the lunar surface and lunar orbit, and therefore has no flaps or heat shield tiles. This variant also includes landing legs to allow for a more stable lunar landing. |
| Starship Crew Variant | The crew variant of Starship will be used for transporting people on a variety of missions to many destinations such as to low earth orbit (LEO), point to point, Moon and Mars. Crucially, it differs from the HLS variant as it is planned to be fully reusable. Like the HLS, it will require many tanker flights. It will people able to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere without needing to transfer its crew to another spacecraft. |
Engines[]
SpaceX has made several changes to the engine configurations of its Starship prototypes over time:
| Prototype Range | Engine Configuration |
|---|---|
| Early Prototypes (up until SN8) | One Raptor sea-level engine |
| Suborbital Prototypes (SN8 to SN15) | Three Raptor sea-level engines |
| V1/Block 2 Ship (S20 to at least Ship 39) | Three Raptor sea-level engines and three Raptor vacuum engines |
| V3 Ship | Three Raptor sea-level engines and six Raptor vacuum engines |
Prototypes[]
| Vehicle | Stacking Commenced | Stacking Completed | First Cryo Proof | Flights | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship 24 (S24) | November 2021 | 9 May 2022 | June 2 2022 | April 20, 2023 (FLT-1) | First to attempt a flight test. Engines never ignited. |
| Ship 25 (S25) | February 2022 | No info | November 01 2022 | November 18, 2023 (FLT-2) | First to reach space, but did not pass SECO. |
| Ship 26 (S26) | May 2022 | December 26 2022 | February 21 2023 | Featured no heat shield tiles or flaps. Scrapped in late 2024. | |
| Ship 27 (S27) | Around June 2022 | No info | Imploded before testing | Ship 26 twin | |
| Ship 28 (S28) | March 9, 2023 | April 6, 2023 | July 28, 2023 | March 14, 2024 (FLT-3) | First to reach intended trajectory and get to reentry (despite not passing reentry). |
| May 1, 2023 | June 6, 2023 | September 26, 2023 | June 6, 2024 (FLT-4) | First to survive reentry and successfully splash down. | |
| Ship 30 (S30) | July 21, 2023 | August 18 | January 3, 2024 | October 13, 2024 (FLT-5) | First Ship to splash down exactly on target. |
| Ship 31 (S31) | August 31, 2023 | October 3, 2023 | May 12, 2024 | November 19, 2024 (FLT-6) | First to perform an relight of a Raptor engine in space. |
| Ship 32 (S32) | October 11, 2023 | November 16, 2023 | Final Block 1 ship, was never completed and scrapped in late 2024. | ||
| Ship 33 (S33) | July 14, 2024 | August 23, 2024 | October 29, 2024 | January 16, 2025 (FLT-7)[11] | First V2 prototype. RUD before SECO due to harmonic response issues. |
| Ship 34 (S34) | September 19, 2024 | November 18th, 2024 | January 7 2025 | March 6 2025 (FLT-8) | Second Block 2 ship. Also RUD before SECO due to a Raptor engine failure. |
| Ship 35 (S35) | December 10 2024 | February 10-13 2025 | March 11 2025 | May 27 2025 (FLT-9) | First Block 2 ship to reach SECO, lost attitude control in space. First Ship prototype to feature functional catch pins. |
| Ship 36 (S36) | January 30, 2025 | March 12, 2025 | April 27, 2025 | Blew up during propellant loading before static fire testing. | |
| Ship 37 (S37) | February 26, 2025 | April 15, 2025 | May 30, 2025 | ||
| Ship 38 (S38) | March 28, 2025 | May 27, 2025 | May be the last Block 2 ship. | ||
| Ship 39 (S39) | Possibly the first Block 3 ship. | ||||
| Ship 40 (S40) |
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1776669097490776563
- ↑ https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1OwGWNYrzZVKQ at Timestamp ~23:40
- ↑ https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1846229867047588216
- ↑ https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1768543877756060148
- ↑ https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1832554031845097590
- ↑ https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1858871946857115848
- ↑ https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1867477176792322236
- ↑ https://x.com/StephenClark1/status/1879983846260896170
- ↑ https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1896909928381768044 Timestamp: 18:35
- ↑ https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1903481526794203189
- ↑ https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-7