SpaceX Starship

SpaceX Starship is a fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle and spacecraft system developed by the American aerospace company SpaceX. It is designed to enable human travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond, as well as to transport cargo and crew into orbit. It is the largest and most powerful rocket system ever built. The system is configured for both cargo and crew missions and is based on the principle of full reusability.

The Starship system is an integrated structure consisting of two main stages: the first stage booster called "Super Heavy" and the second stage spacecraft known as "Starship" (Ship). The total height of the system exceeds 120 meters and its diameter is 9 meters.

The Super Heavy, forming the lower part of the rocket, provides the thrust necessary to escape Earth's atmosphere. This booster is equipped with 33 engines and generates approximately 74 meganewtons of thrust, equivalent to about 700 times the thrust produced by a typical commercial passenger aircraft. Super Heavy has roughly twice the thrust of NASA's most powerful rocket, the SLS rocket used in the Artemis program, and the Saturn V rocket that carried astronauts to the Moon. After launch, the booster is designed to return to Earth and be caught by the launch tower.

The upper stage, referred to as the "Ship", is responsible for carrying cargo and passengers into orbit. This section is approximately 50 meters long. Starship has a payload capacity of 100 to 150 tons to low Earth orbit in reusable mode and up to 250 tons in expendable mode. The vehicle is configured to carry up to 100 crew members. Both the booster and the ship use a mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen, known as "methalox", as fuel.

Starship's launch and test operations are conducted from SpaceX's "Starbase" facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The launch site features a massive launch tower called "Mechazilla", which has two giant mechanical arms known as "Chopsticks". These arms position the rocket components (booster and ship) before launch and catch the returning Super Heavy booster in mid-air after launch. One of the system's most important features is its ability to capture the rocket in mid-air above the launch pad using these arms, rather than allowing it to land in the ocean or on a platform. This method reduces the need for complex landing equipment and significantly shortens the turnaround time for relaunch.

^{The Starship rocket completed its 10th test flight (}

Starship's flight profile is designed for rapid reusability. During launch, approximately 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster separates from the upper stage (Ship). The post-separation sequence proceeds as follows:

• Booster Return: After completing its mission, the Super Heavy returns to the launch pad. During atmospheric reentry, it uses its 33 engines to slow down and, as it approaches the launch tower, decelerates further to be caught by the mechanical arms in mid-air.
• Ship Trajectory and Landing: The upper stage, the Ship, ignites its own engines to continue to orbit or its target destination. Upon returning to Earth, the Ship descends using a horizontal maneuver known as a "belly-flop". This maneuver increases aerodynamic drag to slow the vehicle. As it nears the surface, it reignites its engines to transition to a vertical orientation and performs a controlled landing. On surfaces without launch towers, such as Mars or the Moon, Starship is designed to land vertically on its own landing legs.

Starship's applications span a broad range from low Earth orbit to interplanetary travel:

• Moon Missions (Artemis Program): NASA has selected Starship as the "Human Landing System" for its Artemis program, with the goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2026. NASA has paid SpaceX $2.8 billion for this purpose.
• Mars Colonization: The ultimate goal of the system is to transport humans and cargo to Mars to establish a sustainable city there. The first unmanned test mission to Mars is targeted for 2026, during a favorable planetary alignment. Each mission is expected to carry approximately 100 people.
• Starlink and Satellite Launches: Starship will be used to expand SpaceX's Starlink satellite network and deploy large space telescopes into orbit. It can carry significantly larger payloads in a single launch compared to current Falcon 9 rockets.
• Intercontinental Transport: The system is also planned for high-speed cargo and passenger transport between points on Earth.

The development of Starship is monitored by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to environmental concerns. The FAA has imposed penalties on SpaceX for noncompliance with licensing conditions. According to the FAA's draft environmental report, if 25 launches occur annually, a total of 97,342 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions would be generated, equating to approximately 3,894 tons per launch. Experts note that the liquid methane used as rocket fuel and the "black carbon" produced during launch may persist longer in the upper atmosphere than emissions from aircraft, potentially contributing to climate change. SpaceX disputes claims that the rocket causes significant air pollution. Additionally, sonic booms generated during launch and reentry are considered an environmental noise factor.