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Super Heavy (rocket stage)

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Super Heavy
ManufacturerSpaceX
Country of originUnited States
Used onStarship
General characteristics
Height70 m (230 ft)[1]
Diameter9 m (30 ft)[1]
Gross massover 3,000,000 kg (6,600,000 lb)[1]
Propellant mass3,400,000 kg (7,500,000 lb)[1]
Associated stages
FamilyStarship
Derived from
  • MCT Stage 1 (canceled)
  • ITS Stage 1 (canceled)
  • BFR (canceled)
ComparableS-IC
Launch history
StatusIn development
Total launches0
Starship Super Heavy
Powered by~28 Raptors[2]
Maximum thrust72,000 kN (16,000,000 lbf)
PropellantCH4/LOX

Super Heavy is a methalox rocket stage intended to serve as the first stage of SpaceX's super heavy-lift launch vehicle, Starship.[1] It is 230 ft (70 m) tall, powered by about 28 Raptor engines, and a fully reusable launch system.[1][2][3] As of May 2021, it has yet to fly.[4] The first launch of Super Heavy and the first orbital flight of the Starship system as a whole is planned to fly no earlier than August 2021 as of May 2021.[5]

Development

Super Heavy began its development as a first stage for the Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT), a new concept designed to replace the cancelled Falcon X, Falcon X Heavy, and Falcon XX rockets. The MCT first stage work was later replaced by development for the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) and Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) rockets' first stages.[6]

After the cancellation of the ITS and BFR programs in favor of the Starship program, SpaceX began work on the Super Heavy booster stage. Manufacturing of Booster Number 1 (BN1) began in autumn 2020 with stacking of the first prototype beginning in December 2020 in the high bay vertical assembly building at the company's South Texas launch site.[7] In March 2021, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that BN1 was a "production pathfinder,"[a] a prototype not intended for flight-testing.[8]

Instead, BN1 was scrapped in favor of moving forward with BN2 with the goal of having BN2 on the Orbital Launch Pad before the end of April 2021.[9] It is now scrapped.[10] As of May 16, 2021, Super Heavy BN2 was still in production with the forward and aft domes prepped,[10] and, according to NASASpaceflight, it is now considered a production pathfinder.[4] A second BN2 unit, designated BN2.1, was scheduled to fly in June 2021,[11] but as of May 9, 2021, only one piece has been built.[12] As with BN2, BN2.1 is reportedly now considered a production pathfinder.[4]

The third Super Heavy booster iteration, BN3, is expected to launch Starship SN20 in the Starship orbital test flight.[5] Although Super Heavy is designed to be reusable, SpaceX plans to have BN3 splash down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of fully testing its landing system.[13] SpaceX also plans to fly additional orbital flight tests with Starships SN21, 22, etc.[4]

List of Super Heavy Boosters

List of Super Heavy Boosters
Name Date of First Flight First Mission Date of Last Flight Last Mission First Starship that flies on this Super Heavy Last Starship that flies on this Super Heavy Status Landing Ref(s)
BN1 Never Flown Scrapped — [14][15][10]
BN2 Never Flown Under Construction [10][15][4]
BN2.1 Never Flown [4][11]
BN3 NET August 2021 Starship Orbital Test Flight NET August 2021 Starship Orbital Test Flight SN20 To Be Expended (splashdown) [5][13]

References and notes

References
  1. ^ a b c d e f "SpaceX Starship page". SpaceX. Retrieved 2021-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (2020-09-01). "Musk emphasizes progress in Starship production over testing". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  3. ^ "Starship Users Guide" (PDF). SpaceX. March 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Starship SN15 patiently awaits a decision - The Road to Orbit". NASASpaceFlight.com. 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  5. ^ a b c "Starship-Super Heavy (Prototype) | Orbital Test Flight". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  6. ^ Gaynor, Phillip (2020-10-24). "SpaceX Starship: The Continued Evolution of the Big Falcon Rocket". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  7. ^ "Starship SN9's time to shine - test series targets a New Year's resolution". NASASpaceFlight.com. 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  8. ^ Bergin, Chris (2021-03-29). "Starship SN11 lands in bits as SpaceX refine forward plan". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  9. ^ Tangermann, Victor (2021-03-30). "After Latest Explosion, Elon Musk Vows to Test Another Starship Within Days". Futurism.com. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  10. ^ a b c d Bergin, Chris (2021-05-05). "Starship SN15 conducts smooth test flight and nails landing". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  11. ^ a b "Rocket Launch Manifest". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  12. ^ "Following Starship SN15's success, SpaceX evaluating next steps toward orbital goals". NASASpaceFlight.com. 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  13. ^ a b Howelle, Elizabeth (2021-05-14). "SpaceX plans for 1st orbital Starship flight hint at Texas-to-Hawaii trip". Space.com. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  14. ^ Ralph, Eric (9 November 2020). "SpaceX begins assembling first Starship Super Heavy booster in South Texas". Teslarati.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ a b Bergin, Chris (2021-04-18). "Starship SN15 prepares for flight following major NASA vindication". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
Notes
  1. ^ A production pathfinder is a vehicle built to test ways of producing future vehicles.
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