SPACEX'S STARSHIP LAUNCH VEHICLE
SpaceX is working on a next generation space launch vehicle called Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, collectively referred to as Starship. This is a fully reusable transportation system designed for missions to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. SpaceX claims that it will be world's most powerful rocket ever built and it would be able to carry more than 100 tonnes into Earth's orbit.
SpaceX's Starship launch vehicle. Courtesy : SpaceX ( www.spacex.com )
Technical Specifications
| Property / Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Height of first stage | 120 m |
| Diameter of first stage | 9 m |
| Max. payload carrying capacity to lower earth orbit ( LEO ) | More than 100 tonnes |
| Height of second stage | 50 m |
| Diameter of second stage | 9 m |
| Propallant capacity of second stage | 1200 tonnes |
| Fisrt stage booster height | 70 m |
| Fisrt stage booster diameter | 9 m |
| Fisrt stage booster propallant capacity | 3400 tonnes |
| Fisrt stage booster total thrust | 72 MN |
| Engine name | Raptor engine |
| Engine height | 3.1 m |
| Engine diameter | 1.3 m |
| Engine thrust | 2 MN |
SpaceX's Raptor engine. Courtesy : SpaceX ( www.spacex.com )
Starship boosters have a gross liftoff mass of over 3 million kg and uses sub-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen (CH4/LOX) propellants. The complete system will be reusable. At the end of booster stage, the boosters will be ejected and they will come back to earth and land on six legs.
The Starship will be able be able to carry more than 100 tons of cargo to Mars and the Moon and transport up to 100 people from Earth into LEO and to the Moon and Mars. Starship is designed for mainly Moon and Mars and other interplanetary mission. It can open a new possibility for new missions larger than James Webb Space Telescope. Quoting from SpaceX's official website, "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 )."
Courtesy : SpaceX ( www.spacex.com )
Data Sources: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
