SpaceX’s Super Heavy rockets

SpaceX’s Super Heavy rockets

News: Recently, SpaceX released the images of four of its Starship Super Heavy booster.

Background:
• Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, is ready for its launch in February 2024 after getting necessary clearances from the country’s Federal Aviation Authority. The Launch Vehicle has already completed two test launches.
• “Starship” refers to the combination of the Super Heavy booster, and the Starship spacecraft. They form the next generation of SpaceX’s launch systems.

What are the 2 stages of starship?

First stage
• The Super Heavy booster is the first stage of Starship. It is about 69 metres tall and 9 metres wide and will have the capacity to hold around 3,400 tons of propellant.
• It is powered by 33 Raptor engines that together provide close to 7,600 tons of thrust.
• It is designed to be completely reusable. After launch, it should re-enter the planet’s atmosphere and land back at the launch site.

Second stage
• The Starship spacecraft is the second stage of the system. It has an integrated payload section designed to carry both crew and cargo.
• It is also capable of point-to-point transport on Earth. The 50-metre tall and 9-metre wide spacecraft will have a payload capacity of between 100 tonnes and 150 tonnes.

About SpaceX:
• SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is an American aerospace company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. The company designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

Achievements of SpaceX:
• Falcon 1: In September 2008, SpaceX’s Falcon 1 became the first privately funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit.
• Dragon Spacecraft: In December 2010, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule became the first privately developed spacecraft in history to launch and re-enter from low-Earth orbit.
• Starship: SpaceX is developing Starship, a human-rated, fully-reusable, super heavy-lift launch system for interplanetary and orbital spaceflight. On its first flight in April 2023, it became the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown.
• Starlink: SpaceX is also working on Starlink, a project that aims to create a satellite network that provides global broadband coverage for internet service.