Starship
Starship is SpaceX’s fully reusable space transportation system. It consists of the Super Heavy first stage and the Starship upper stage, which is also the spacecraft; both use Raptor engines burning liquid methane and oxygen.
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living encyclopedia entryStarship is more than another rocket. It is an attempt to build a transportation system in which both stages return after flight, are inspected and fly again — like an aircraft, but at orbital scale. At the pad stands the massive Super Heavy booster; above it is the Starship spacecraft, intended to carry satellites, cargo and people. The system is still undergoing flight tests, so its planned capabilities should not be confused with an already routine service.
The system has two stages. Super Heavy accelerates the stack after liftoff and is intended to turn back toward the launch site after separation. Starship continues to orbit or along a suborbital trajectory; during entry it falls belly-first and steers with four aerodynamic flaps. Just before touchdown it flips upright and lights its engines. This unusual maneuver saves mass because the ship needs neither wings nor a conventional runway landing gear.
STARSHIP IN NUMBERS
The first integrated test of the complete stack took place in April 2023. Later flights progressively tested stage separation, controlled return and thermal protection. The twelfth flight, on 22 May 2026, was the first flight of the V3 version with Raptor 3 engines and a launch from the new Pad 2. Starship completed its own flight and landing burn, while Super Heavy fell hard into the Gulf of Mexico after trouble with its boostback burn. Success in one maneuver therefore does not mean the whole system is ready for routine orbital missions.
SpaceX designs Starship to deliver satellites to orbit, carry large payloads and eventually support crewed flights to the Moon and Mars. Orbital propellant transfer will be essential: one Starship would act as a tanker and another as a spacecraft or lunar lander. NASA selected a modified Starship as the lunar landing system for Artemis, but the timing and final shape of those missions depend on continued development and testing.
- Starship can refer to the complete stack; strictly speaking, the upper stage is Starship and the first stage is Super Heavy.
- Both stages use methane and liquid oxygen, supporting simpler operations and a possible future fuel cycle on Mars.
- During entry the ship falls belly-first and flips upright just before landing.
- Flight 12, on 22 May 2026, was the first flight of V3, Raptor 3 engines and Pad 2.
- Starship is not yet a routine transportation service; every flight remains part of development.
