Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: SpaceX Starship

Mains level: Read the attached story

starship

SpaceX is preparing for the first test flight of Starship, which is the most powerful rocket ever built.

About SpaceX Starship

Starship is a fully reusable spacecraft designed and built by SpaceX with the primary goal of sending humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

SpaceX aims to use Starship to establish a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars.
The ultimate goal is to enable humans to become a multi-planetary species.
It also aims to make Starship reusable, reducing the cost of spaceflight and bringing down the price to a few million dollars per flight.
In the long run, the company aims to achieve full and rapid reusability of the spacecraft.

Features	Details
Design and configuration	Made up of two parts: a 50-meter tall spacecraft and a 70-meter tall Super Heavy rocket booster. Spacecraft has six Raptor engines; Super Heavy Booster has 28 Raptor engines. Payload capacity of up to 100 metric tons and features a large heat shield. Interior can be configured for up to 100 passengers or cargo.
Manoeuvrability	Designed to be fully reusable, with vertical take-off and landing on Earth, Moon, and Mars. Can be refuelled in orbit for deeper space travel and for establishing a human settlement on Mars.
Construction and materials	Built using durable and cost-effective stainless steel material. Stainless steel also provides heat protection during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Power and thrust	Powered by methane and liquid oxygen fueled Raptor engines. Generates 17 million pounds of thrust more than twice that of the Saturn V rockets used for the Apollo missions.

SpaceX Starship: World’s biggest rocket set for first test flight