6:33 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023
The spacecraft runs on millions of pounds of fuel
By CNN’s Jackie Wattles The Super Heavy booster (left) stands next to prototype Starship spacecraft at the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in February 2022. Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Starship is a gigantic launch system, unlike anything SpaceX has built before.
It consists of two parts:
- The Super heavy boosterThis is the lower part of the rocket that produces the first thrust when the engines ignite. (There are 33 Raptor engines at its base, although SpaceX has had difficulty firing them all at once.)
- Then there’s this spaceship, which sits on the Super Heavy booster. After the Super Heavy uses most of its fuel, the booster drops off as Starship starts its own six Raptor engines and continues its journey into the cosmos.
Although it cannot reach orbit without Super Heavy, Starship is the crucial part of this launch system. It is designed to accommodate all of the cargo – be it satellites or astronauts – that SpaceX would transport.
The spaceship’s cargo hold is really huge. It has approx 1,000 cubic meters (35,300 cubic feet) of space, according to recent comments from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“It looks like a cathedral,” Musk said. “To be honest, it looks absurd.”
The rocket contains millions of pounds of fuel and oxidizer. Super Heavy alone holds up 8 million pounds (3,700 tons) of fuel, while the Starship spacecraft can hold another 3 million (1,500 tons).
The primary fuel is methane, which SpaceX chose for several performance reasons — and because methane fuel could one day be produced on Mars.