Since April 2023, Super Heavy has been launched 7 times, with 4 successes and 3 failures. Starship, the vehicle Super Heavy composes when combined with the Starship spacecraft,[1] has been developed with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale.[2] SpaceX aims to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline and adapting it to a wide range of space missions.[3][4] Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars.
There are currently three planned versions of Super Heavy: Block 1 (also known as Version 1 or V1), Block 2, and Block 3. As of 2025, Block 1 Super Heavy boosters are compatible with Block 1 and Block 2 Starships.[5] As of January 2025, 6 Block 1 vehicles and 1 Block 2 vehicle have flown.[6] The Super Heavy booster is reusable, and is recovered via large arms on the tower capable of catching the descending vehicle.[7] As of January 2025, 0 boosters have been refurbished and subsequently flown at least a second time, though 2 boosters, Booster 12 and Booster 14, has been recovered after flight, with Booster 12 having damage to one of its chine sections.[8]
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (August 6, 2021). "Biggest ever rocket is assembled briefly in Texas". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- ^ Dans, Enrique. "Elon Musk's Economies Of Scale Won SpaceX The NASA Moonshot". Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ Wattles, Jackie (September 29, 2019). "Elon Musk says SpaceX's Mars rocket will be cheaper than he once thought. Here's why". CNN Business. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Meredith Garofalo (June 8, 2024). "SpaceX wants to build 1 Starship megarocket a day with new Starfactory". Space.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Jax (June 4, 2024). "From Render to Reality: A Status Update on Starship Block 2". Ringwatchers. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ Berger, Eric (April 8, 2024). "Elon Musk just gave another Mars speech—this time the vision seems tangible". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ Everyday Astronaut (May 26, 2022). Go up SpaceX's Starship-catching robotic launch tower with Elon Musk!. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ NASASpaceflight (October 15, 2024). SpaceX Rolls Booster 12 to the Production Site After Catch | Starbase. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via YouTube.