Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 primarily to help humanity settle Mars. Here's a look at the gear the company is developing to do just that — a giant rocket called Super Heavy and a 100-passenger vehicle called Starship. Above, a still from a SpaceX animation shows Starship launching on a Super Heavy rocket.
Starship and Super Heavy have gone by several names. When first unveiled in 2017, the duo was known as the Interplanetary Transport System. A year later, Musk changed the name to BFR, short for "Big Falcon Rocket" (or "Big F***ing Rocket). In November 2018, it was renamed again to "Starship."
Starship isn't just for mission to the moon and Mars. It could someday even launch human missions farther out into the solar system to planets like Saturn.
One of the key elements of SpaceX's Starship plan is the ability to refuel the spacecraft in orbit. After launching, Starship will rendezvous with a tanker in orbit and refuel before heading out to Mars or other deep-space destinations. You can see how it's done in this SpaceX animation.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
In-Orbit Refueling
One of the key elements of SpaceX's Starship plan is the ability to refuel the spacecraft in orbit. After launching, Starship will rendezvous with a tanker in orbit and refuel before heading out to Mars or other deep-space destinations. You can see how it's done in this SpaceX animation.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
How Starship Stacks Up
This SpaceX infographic shows how enormous the finalized Starship and the Super Heavy will be compared to to a human, the Starship Mk1 prototype, the Starship Hopper test vehicle ... and the Millennium Falcon.
The Starship is 164 feet (50 meters) long with a diameter of 30 feet (9 meters). Its dry mass is approximately 120 tons. It can launch payload of up to 150 tons and return to Earth with a 50-ton payload.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
The Heat Shield
To protect passengers from extreme temperatures during entry into the atmospheres of Mars or Earth, Starship has a heat shield made of stainless steel and ceramic tiles.
The bottom half of SpaceX's Starship Mk 1 prototype is seen at the company's South Texas facilities in this photo posted on Twitter by Elon Musk on Sept. 22, 2019.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted this photo of the bottom half of the Starship Mk1 prototype being lifted above a transporter on Sept. 25, 2019.
The bottom half of SpaceX's Starship Mk 1 prototype is seen at the company's South Texas facilities in this photo posted on Twitter by Elon Musk on Sept. 22, 2019.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Starship "Hopper" Prototype: Artist's Rendering
An artist's illustration of the "hopper" test-flight version of SpaceX's Starship vehicle, shared via Twitter by company founder and CEO Elon Musk on Jan. 5, 2019.
The test-flight version of SpaceX's Starship "Hopper" vehicle stands completed at the company's Texas test site. Elon Musk posted this photo on Twitter on Jan. 10, 2019.
Portions of SpaceX's first "hopper" test article for its Starship vehicle being assembled at the company's South Texas launch site, seen here in a photo tweeted by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Dec. 24, 2018.
SpaceX’s founder and chief executive Elon Musk shared black-and-white images on Sept. 26, 2019, showing off the three Raptor engines on the Starship prototype.
SpaceX’s founder and chief executive Elon Musk shared black-and-white images on Sept. 26, 2019, showing off the three Raptor engines on the Starship prototype.
SpaceX’s founder and chief executive Elon Musk shared black-and-white images on Sept. 26, 2019, showing off the three Raptor engines on the Starship prototype.
Before it was Starship, it was called the BFR, or "Big Falcon Rocket." SpaceX's 2018 BFR design showcased a sleek, sci-fi looking spaceship and its 1st stage booster as shown in this image unveiled by Elon Musk on Sept. 17, 2018.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
At the Moon
On Sept. 13, 2018, SpaceX announced it had signed the 1st private passenger for a moon trip on BFR. This image released with that announcement offered the first glimpse of BFR's design changes since the 2017 ITS version (which fill much of this gallery).
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Stage Separation
An artist's illustration of SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket launching into space. SpaceX will launch Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa on the first private passenger flight around the moon, possibly in 2023.
The flight plan for the #dearMoon mission, which will use a SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy rocket to launch a group of artists on a mission to fly around the moon.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, who has booked SpaceX's first private flight around the moon, meet the press during the mission's unveiling at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California on Sept. 17, 2018.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Starship on Mars
An artist's illustration of SpaceX "BFR" spaceships on the surface of Mars.
SpaceX aims to launch its first Mars cargo missions in 2022 and the first crews in 2024. If all goes according to plan, these first flights will plant the seeds of a permanent, sustainable city on the Red Planet.
This SpaceX infographic shows how the company aims to use its Starship interstellar spacecraft to transport humans and cargo to and from the Red Planet.
Starship could make it from Earth orbit to the lunar surface and back again without needing to refuel, Musk said.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Deploying a Satellite
The Starship system will also be able to launch very large satellites, according to Elon Musk. The company is targeting 2021 for its first commercial launch.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
BFR Spaceship at the ISS
An artist's illustration of the BFR spaceship docked at the International Space Station.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
A Big Rocket
SpaceX's envisioned BFR is much bigger and far more powerful than the company’s other rockets.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Big BFR
The BFR iteration was designed to be 387 feet (118 meters) tall, with the ability to carry payloads up to 100 metric tons all the way to the surface of Mars.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
A Spacious Spaceship
The BFR's design was more spacious inside, fitting more than 35,000 cubic feet (1,000 cubic meters) of pressurized space inside. The payload section measured 180 feet (55 meters) long. That's more than 10 times the size of the space shuttle's living quarters.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Steering the BFR
The 2018 BFR design had two actuated forward fins and three in the rear. (Elon Musk also referred to these features as "wings" or "fins.")
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Landing the BFR
A screenshot of a landing simulation showing how the BFR will land. The rocket is designed to be able to land anywhere in the solar system, Elon Musk said when he unveiled the new design.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
BFR from the Side
The BFR would be capable of lofting 150 tons of payload to low Earth orbit, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
BFR Spaceship: Top View
The BFR spaceship's design features 40 cabins, each of which will likely house two to three people on a typical Mars trip.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
BFR Spaceship: Rear View
The BFR spaceship's six Raptor engines will allow it to reach Mars after a journey of three to six months.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Point-to-Point Travel on Earth
A giant SpaceX rocket launches from a floating platform near New York City carrying passengers bound for Shanghai in this still from a video animation depicting the potential for point-to-point travel on Earth with the massive spaceship.
