Starship Super Heavy
Fully reusable super heavy-lift launch system — the most powerful rocket ever flown. 33 Raptor engines on Super Heavy booster generate 16.7M lbs thrust. Multiple suborbital test flights in 2024-25 demonstrated booster catch ('chopstick' recovery) and ship belly-flop maneuver. Critical for Starlink V3 deployment, Artemis HLS lunar lander, Mars colonization architecture, and potential point-to-point Earth transport.
Budget
Estimated $5B+ SpaceX internal investment
Timeline
2019–ongoing
Key Milestones
IFT-1 — first integrated flight test (rapid unscheduled disassembly)
2023 — Apr
IFT-2 — booster succeeded, ship reached space before loss of signal
2023 — Nov
IFT-5 — first 'chopstick catch' of Super Heavy booster at launch tower
2024 — Oct
IFT-6 through IFT-9 — progressive testing; ship reentry improvements
2025
First Starlink V3 deployment flight; targeting full reusability demonstration
2026
Contractors
Sources
- spacex.com/starship
- spacenews.com
- nasaspaceflight.com