SpaceX Starship vs Falcon 9: What are the key differences?
STARSHIP and Falcon 9 are two of SpaceX's flagship rockets - but what are the key differences between the two? Here is everything you need to know about SpaceX's growing fleet of spacecraft.
SpaceX Starship explodes on landing during a test
SpaceX caught the world's attention this week with the launch of the Starship SN9 prototype in South Texas on Tuesday. Starship launched on its first suborbital flight more than a month after its previous iteration, SN8, crashed into the launchpad and erupted into a ball of flames. And just like the Starship before it, SN9 failed to stick the landing and was blown to smithereens.
However, since the Starship is still in development, the launch was still considered a partial success.
SpaceX said: "These test flights are all about improving our understanding and development of a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration, interplanetary flights and help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond."
SpaceX's other rocket, Falcon 9, will also take to the skies this week with the launch of 60 Starlink satellites.
Falcon 9 will deliver the latest batch of broadband satellites, expanding its controversial constellation past the 1,000 satellite mark.
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What are the key differences between Starship and SpaceX?
Starship:
Starship is a two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle comprised of Starship and the Super Heavy booster rocket.
SpaceX has designed the spacecraft to service missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, with different configurations for different purposes.
The spacecraft will come in a Crew, Cargo, Tanker, Deep Space and Lunar Lander configuration.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk, 49, wants Starship to put the first human on Mars before the Decade is over.
SpaceX: Simulation demonstrates 'Super Heavy' rocket landing
SpaceX wants Starship to be a completely reusable vehicle.
The rocket is still in the development phase at SpaceX's facility in Boca Chica, South Texas.
Starship (Second Stage)
- Height: 160ft (50m)
- Diameter: 30ft (9m)
- Payload capacity: 100+ tonnes
Super Heavy (First Stage)
- Height: 230ft (70m)
- Diameter: 30ft (9m)
- Thrust: 72 million newtons
Falcon 9:
Falcon 9 is SpaceX's signature rocket that became the world's first booster capable of reuse.
As of February 2, SpaceX's Falcon 9 has launched 105 times, landed 66 times and has been reused 48 times.
SpaceX said: "Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital-class reusable rocket.
"Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access.
Although Falcon 9 has been mainly used to launch satellites and deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), a Falcon 9 rocket flew its first human crew on May 30, 2020, with the SpaceX-NASA Demo-2 flight.
Falcon 9 and the Crew Dragon spacecraft have been selected by NASA to fly crews to the ISS.
Falcon 9's first stage is powered by nine Merlin engines for more than 7,600 kilonewtons of thrust at sea level.
Falcon 9:
- Height: 229.6ft (70m)
- Diameter: 12ft (3.7m)
- Payload to low-Earth orbit: 22,800kg (50,265 lb)
- Payload to geostationary transfer orbit: 8,300kg (18.300 lb)
- Payload to Mars: 4,020kg (8,869 lb)