That's 200 tons for the one big rocket!
The cost savings are enormous.
From GROK:
When comparing the SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Starship spacecraft (in the context of the entire Starship system which includes the Super Heavy booster), we're looking at different generations of SpaceX rocket technology, each designed for distinct operational capabilities:
Falcon 9:
- Size: Stands approximately 70 meters tall with a diameter of 3.66 meters for both stages.
- Engines: Uses Merlin engines, specifically the Merlin 1D for Falcon 9 Block 5, with a single vacuum-optimized Merlin for the second stage.
- Reusability: Falcon 9 is partially reusable. The first stage is designed to land and be reused, significantly reducing the cost per launch, but the second stage and fairings are not reusable in the same flight cycle.
- Payload Capacity: Can deliver up to 22,800 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) when new, around 15,600 kg when reused.
- Launch Frequency: High frequency due to its established design, operational history, and reusability of the first stage. It's currently used for various missions, including satellite deployments like Starlink.
Starship (Including Super Heavy):
- Size: The entire Starship system, including the Super Heavy booster, is significantly larger. Starship (the spacecraft part) itself is about 50 meters tall, with a diameter of 9 meters. The Super Heavy booster adds to this height, making the full stack over 120 meters tall.
- Engines: Utilizes Raptor engines, with plans for Raptor Vacuum engines for the upper stage. The Super Heavy has 33 Raptor engines, providing immense thrust.
- Reusability: Designed for full reusability. Both the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster are meant to return to Earth and be reused, aiming for rapid turnaround times, potentially within hours.
- Payload Capacity: Starship's payload capacity is extraordinary, with up to 100 tons to LEO when fully operational and reused. This capacity is significantly higher than Falcon 9, aiming to make Starship a heavy-lift workhorse for Earth orbit, lunar, and Mars missions.
- Purpose and Innovation: Starship is designed with interplanetary travel in mind, aiming to make life multiplanetary. It's not just about Earth orbit but about creating a spacecraft that can land on other planets with humans and cargo.
Key Comparative Points:
- Scale and Power: Starship, with its Super Heavy booster, represents a leap in size and thrust over Falcon 9, aiming for capabilities far beyond Earth's orbit.
- Reusability: While Falcon 9 has revolutionized rocketry with its reusability, Starship takes this concept further, aiming for full system reusability which could dramatically reduce spaceflight costs.
- Mission Scope: Falcon 9 serves satellite launches, crew missions to the ISS, and other LEO tasks efficiently. Starship is envisioned for everything from satellite constellations, lunar missions, to becoming the backbone of Mars colonization efforts.
- Technological Advancement: Starship incorporates new technologies like methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propulsion with Raptor engines, which are more efficient for in-space travel compared to Falcon 9's kerosene (RP-1) and LOX.
- Launch Frequency and Accessibility: While Falcon 9 has set records for launch frequency, Starship aims to not just match but exceed this with its design for rapid reusability, potentially making space travel more routine and accessible.
In essence, while Falcon 9 has been pivotal in making spaceflight more affordable and frequent, Starship represents SpaceX's vision for the future of space travel, aiming at a scale and reusability that could fundamentally change how we approach space exploration and colonization.
