Starship is a two-stage, super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by SpaceX. It is designed as a fully reusable transportation system for both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Starship system consists of two main components: the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. SpaceX intends for Starship to replace its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
Key features of Starship include its full reusability, high payload capacity, and the use of methane-fueled Raptor engines. The Starship spacecraft is powered by six Raptor engines. The Super Heavy booster is powered by 33 Raptor engines and is designed to return to the launch site for rapid reuse. Starship comes in various configurations, offering an integrated payload section and is capable of carrying up to 100 people on long-duration interplanetary flights. It can deliver payloads to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and facilitate point-to-point transport on Earth in under an hour. As of October 13, 2025, Starship has launched 11 times, with 6 successes and 5 failures.
While the exact price of Starship launches varies and is subject to change, SpaceX aims to significantly reduce launch costs compared to existing systems. The company has a goal to achieve a launch cost as low as $10 million per flight with substantial reuse. Current estimates for Starship cargo flights to the lunar or Martian surface begin at $100 million per metric ton. As of February 2026, Starship is still in the development phase, with ongoing testing and iterative design improvements. Elon Musk has stated that Starship could launch as often as once every hour within three years. Upcoming Starship missions include the Superbird-9 mission scheduled for June 2027 and the Starlab mission in 2029.
