Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship, World’s Biggest Rocket

What is Starship Rocket?

Starship is manufactured by SpaceX(Space Exploration Technologies Corp.), an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and satellite communications corporation founded by Elon Musk in 2002. SpaceX is headquartered in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX Starship represents a revolutionary spacecraft with its reusability, high payload capacity, interplanetary travel capabilities, and potential for lunar landings. It has the potential to reshape space exploration and make ambitious missions beyond Earth more accessible and sustainable. It is 120 meters (394 feet) high and stands taller than the Statue of Liberty.

What is special about Starship Rocket?

Although the Starship prototypes are not reusable, Starship is intended to be a completely reusable orbital rocket, which will lower launch costs and maintenance requirements in between missions. According to Elon Musk, Starships could one day be both disposable and reusable.

When will Starship Launch?

SpaceX tried to get Starship airborne on Monday, April 17 2023 from the site that SpaceX calls Starbase, which is a few miles north of where Texas and Mexico meet along the Gulf of Mexico but postponed the launch because of some technical issue And it is expected that Starship will try to make the second attempt later this week.

SpaceX Starship: Features

Let’s have a look at some features of SpaceX Starship:

1. Reusability: One of the most significant features of the SpaceX Starship is its reusability. Both the spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster, which provides the initial thrust for the Starship, are designed to be fully reusable. This is intended to significantly reduce the cost of space travel by eliminating the need to build new spacecraft for each mission.
2. Interplanetary travel: The Starship is designed with the capability to travel to destinations beyond Earth, such as Mars.
3. Crew capacity: The Starship is designed to carry a large crew, with a capacity of up to 100 people.
4. Raptor engines: The Starship is powered by SpaceX’s cutting-edge Raptor rocket engines, which use methane as fuel.
5. Stainless steel construction: Unlike traditional spacecraft that are built using lightweight materials, the Starship is constructed primarily using stainless steel. This material provides durability, strength, and the ability to withstand high temperatures, making it suitable for reusability and long-duration space missions.
6. Lunar landing capability: The Starship is designed to be capable of landing on the moon, which makes it a potential vehicle for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land humans on the moon by 2024.