Exploring Starship: SpaceX’s unique spacecraft

After an unsuccessful attempt, the first and the most unique spacecraft Starship is scheduled to take-off from the Starbase facility, located in Boca Chica, Texas.

The gigantic rocket's planned liftoff Monday (1328 GMT) was aborted less than 10 minutes before the scheduled launch, due to a pressurization issue in the first-stage booster.

SpaceX founder, Elon Musk, tweeted that his scientific team is working around the clock. "Maybe 4/20, maybe not," he said.

What is its purpose?

There are several versions of the Starship, each designed for different purposes.

Starship spacecraft is seen to play an important role in NASA’s Artemis 3 program that aims to reestablish a human presence on the Moon. The last human landing on the rock body was in 1972.  

Now pursuing a similar end, NASA awarded SpaceX with a $2.89bn contract to develop Starship into a lander, which will transport astronauts to the Moon. 

Elon Musk believes humankind will face extinction if it stays forever on Earth. The SpaceX founder’s aim is to help facilitate human migration from Earth to other planets.

“The alternative is to become a spacefaring civilization and a multi-planet species, which I hope you would agree is the right way to go,” Musk said in a 2016 speech.

He also believes in building cities on Mars and that more people should migrate to the distant plant, where they would be self-sustaining.

What is the spacecraft’s capacity?

The Starship will not entirely reach the orbit of or land on the Moon.

It’s estimated the spacecraft will fly for 90 minutes before descending into sea. 

According to SpaceX, the Starship is capable of carrying up to 150 metric reusable and 250 metric expendable tonnes.

The Starship’s debut flight will not have human passengers. 

Musk aims to design Starship with around 40 cabins in the payload area, near the front of the upper stage. Each cabin will accommodate up to six people.

Though this technically allows Starship to carry 240 passengers, Musk plans to reduce that number to 100—limiting each cabin to two or three passengers while allowing for greater room and comfort in the spacecraft. 

What competitors will do

Besides Starship, several other new rockets are expected to launch for space exploration. 

Blue Origin, owned by one of the world’s richest persons, Jeff Bezos, is preparing for the first orbital launch of the New Glenn rocket. It will take place in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The rocket is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. NASA intends to use New Glenn to send a pair of spacecrafts to Mars in 2024. 

United Launch Alliance, another space company, expects its new Vulcan rocket to launch later this year, carrying a private lunar lander to the moon at NASA's request.

Arianespace, a European space company, is conducting its final preparation to launch its new and upgraded Ariane 6 rocket, from French Guiana, South America and also this year.

Finally, NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket, designed to carry astronauts, will continue to evolve and grow in size.

Starship's distinguishing features 

The most important part of Starship is how it significantly differs from traditional spacecrafts. The ship, unlike its traditional counterparts, is able not only to transfer astronauts and cargo. It is also, according to SpaceX, able to do so while reaching the respective distances of Moon and Mars.

Moreover Starship is not a single-use spacecraft. Its durable hardware components enable it to be reused multiple times. This reduces the cost of travel and minimizes debris left in space. 

Its Raptor engine is powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen. This allows Starship to go faster and extend its travel range. It will use 31 engines — the largest number of simultaneous engine ignition in history. 

The take-off of Starship will be the first test of the rocket in flight and of Super Heavy, the 120-metre (395 feet) tall tower that will boost the rocket itself. 

Starship’s overall design is equipped for multi-purpose missions, allowing it to potentially undertake a wide range of space and other science-related explorations.