SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Super Heavy/Starship Flight History by Variant/Year (2023- ) by Ed Kyle, Last Update March 14, 2024 L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) SH/SS* Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2020 - - - - - - - 2021 - - - - - - - 2022 - - - - - - - 2023 2(2) - - - - - - 2024 1(0) - ------------------------------------------------------------------ SH/SS* L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Suborb 3(2) - - - - - - Orbit - - - - - - - Total 3(2) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ Footnotes: * Suborbital Flights SH/SS Vehicle Configurations LEO Payload Dimensions Liftoff Mass Liftoff Thrust (meters) (tonnes) (tonnes) ------------------------------------------------------------------ BFR 2016 ~300 t 12 x 122 m 10,478 t 13,154 t SH/SS 2017 ~100 t 9 x 106 m 4,400 t 6,305 t SH/SS 2019 ~100 t 9 x 118 m ~3,900-5,000 t 4,800-6,200 t SH/SS 2023-24 ~40 t 9 x 121.3 m ~5,180 t 7,130 t ------------------------------------------------------------------ SH/SS Vehicle Components SH = Super Heavy (Booster) SS = Starship (Stage 2) Masses/Forces in tonnes, Distance in meters SH SS SH SS SH SS (2017) (2019) (2023-24) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Dia. (m) 9 m 9 m 9 m 9 m 9 m 9 m Len (m) 58 m 48 m 68 m 50 m 71 m 50.3 m Mdry (t) 120 t 85 t 300 t ~200 t ~380 t ~200 t (120 t goal) Mp (t) 2,525 t 1,100 t 2,525 t 1,200 t 3,300 t 1,200 t (~3,300 t goal) GLOW (t) 3,065 t 1,335 t 3,065 1,400 t ~3,700 t ~1,400 t -3,500 t Engine Raptor Raptor Raptor Raptor Raptor-2 Raptor-2 No. Eng 31 6 24-31 6 33 6 Mfgr SpaceX SpaceX SpaceX SpaceX SpaceX SpaceX Fuel CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 Oxidizer LOX LOX LOX LOX LOX LOX T(SL t) 6,305 t 1,220 t 4,80 1,200 t 7130 t --- -6,200 t T(Vac t) t 1,314 t t 1,300 t --- 1,200 t ISP (SL s) 330 s 330 s 330 s 330 s 330 s 330 s ISP (Vac s) 356 s 356/375s 356 s 356/375 s 356 s 356/375 s Tburn (s) s s s s s s ------------------------------------------------------------------ Super Heavy/Starship Flight History Date Vehicle No. Payload Mass Site Orbit ------------------------------------------------------------------ 04/20/23 SH/SS B7S24 IFT-1 xx BC OLP1 [FSO] 11/18/23 SH/SS B9S25 IFT-2 BC OLP1 [FSO] 03/14/24 SH/SS B10S28 IFT-3 BC OLP1 SUB ------------------------------------------------------------------ [B7S24] SpaceX Super Heavy/Starship inaugural Integrated Flight Test from Boca Chica. Planned near-orbital flight to impact near Hawaii. 3 Raptor-2 engines failed during liftoff. At least five more failed during ascent. Control lost after about 2 minutes. Vehicle flipped several times before exploding at about T+4 min. 39 km apogee. 250 km apogee planned. 1333 UTC launch. Mp=4600 tonnes. GLOW ~ 5200+ tonnes. About 5900 tonnes liftoff thrust maybe on the 30 engines that were running, so T/W~1.15 maybe. Planned 6534 tonnes liftoff thrust (90% thrust). Mp1 3400 t. Mp2 1200 t. SS 1500 tonnes thrust. 120 x 9 meters. Dug crater below launch mount. Large chunks of concrete flung about. At least one HPU unit on SH failed during flight. Second may have failed. Planned BECO 2:49, Stg 2 2:57-9:20, Boostback to near coast 3:11-4:06, "Landing" burn for splashdown 7:40-8:03. Starship Entry 1:17:21. Starship impact 1:30:00. Stacked 4/5/23. Restacked 4/15/23. [B9S25] SpaceX Super Heavy/Starship second Integrated Flight Test from Boca Chica. Planned near-orbital flight to impact near Hawaii. First stage good thru T+2:43 (cutoff) and 2:48 (staging). First use of hot-staging. Multiple Stage 1 engine failures after flip and boost-back resulted in FTS of SH. Ship 25 flight good through about 7:07 when first in series of plumes appeared. Ship FTS at around 8:05 with velocity 24,124 km/hr versus plan near 27,000 km/hr. Termination perhaps 8 seconds short of planned SECO. Debris fell north of Puerto Rico and BVI. [SH/SS IFT-3] Booster 10/Ship 28 IFT-3 suborbital test. Ship to trajectory with reentry over Indian Ocean. Booster turned and completed boost-back burn. Booster "landing" burn failed with only 3 of 13 planned Raptors starting, and only briefly. Ship attempted payload door opening test and was to do a propellant transfer test during coast. A planned 1-engine restart could not take place due to excess roll rates. Ship was tumbling before reentry, unable to align. It was then lost during reentry, with data loss at about T+49 min at 65 km at 25,707 km/hr. ------------------------------------------------------------------ BC = Boca Chica, Texas LIST BY STAGE 1 SERIAL NUMBER X = Expended OL = Ocean Landing DRL = Down Range Platform Landing LZ1 = Landing Zone 1 Landing -X = Failed Landing -S = Successful Landing (Scrapped) -D = Successful Landing (Saved for Display) -M = Successful Landing (Mothballed) STA = Structural Test Article QTA = Qualification Test Article Stage No. Date Variant/No. Description Mass Site Result Orbit ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ SPACE LAUNCH REPORT SUPER HEAVY/STARSHIP HISTORY by Ed Kyle Super Heavy/Starship, SpaceX's planned replacement for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, is meant to be a fully-recoverable two-stage liquid-fueled vehicle powered by new staged combustion Raptor engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen (CH4/LOX). The first stage will perform vertical launch and descent while the second stage will use a side-ways aerodynamic reentry followed by a vertical landing. The massive, 120 x 9 meter rocket will weigh more than 5,000 tonnes and rise on an unprecedented 7,590 tonnes (16.7 million pounds) of thrust provided by 33 Raptor-2 first stage engines. It is expected to lift 100-150 tonnes to low Earth orbit. SpaceX lost its "BFR" bid for precursor National Security Space Launch (NSSL) funding during the Fall of 2018. The company then shelved plans to build a factory at the Port of Los Angeles and made significant design changes, replacing composite tanks and structures with stainless steel and renaming the stages "Super Heavy" and "Starship". SpaceX spent the next 2.5 years building Hopper and Starship prototypes in Boca Chica, Texas, where new production and launch sites were also created. That testing saw the destruction of eight Starship prototypes during flight or on the ground before one, SN15, finally survived its 10 km flight, belly flop landing, and a post-landing fire on May 3, 2021. During this period, the Raptor engine design shifted to the Raptor-2 standard. The first Super Heavy Booster (B1) was completed, and immediately scrapped, during March, 2021. Booster 2 was abandoned favor of Booster 3, which completed a 3-engine static firing on July 19, 2021 before also being scrapped. Booster 4 was stacked with Ship 20 on August 6, 2021, forming the first SH/SS stack. The booster was cryo load tested during December, 2021 before being retired. Booster 5 rolled out July 19, 2021 but was scrapped during December, 2021. Booster 6 production was abandoned. Booster 7 rolled out March 31, 2022. It underwent numerous cryo loads and static firings during the next year, including a 31-engine test on February 9, 2023 (two engines were not started). Booster 7/Ship 24 The Super Heavy/Starship inaugural "Integrated Flight Test" finally took place at 1333 UTC on April 20, 2023 from Boca Chica. It was a planned near-orbital flight expected to end with Starship impact near Hawaii. Three Raptor-2 engines failed during a liftoff that caused extensive damage to the launch site. At least five more engines failed during ascent. Flight control was lost after about two minutes. The vehicle flipped and veered south before exploding at about T+4 min, the result of range safety automatic destruction. B7S24 reach a 39 km apogee, far short of the planned 250 km. The rocket probably generated about 5,900 tonnes (13 million pounds) of liftoff thrust on the 30 engines that were running, each at a 90% thrust rating. Booster 9/Ship 25 SpaceX Super Heavy/Starship second Integrated Flight Test took place from Boca Chica on November 18, 2023. This planned near- orbital flight was to impact near Hawaii. The first stage was good through T+2:43 (cutoff) and 2:48 (staging). The first use of hot-staging was successful. Multiple Stage 1 engine failures occurred after its flip and boost-back, resulting in Booster 9 exploding. Ship 25 flew OK through about T+7:07 when the first in series of plumes appeared. Ship was destroyed, possibly by FTS, at around T+8:05 with a velocity of 24,124 km/hr versus plan near 27,000 km/hr. A maximum 148 km altitude was reached. The end may have occurred only 8 seconds short of the planned SECO. Debris fell north of Puerto Rico and BVI. Booster 10/Ship 28 Booster 10/Ship 28 performed the IFT-3 suborbital test on March 14, 2024 from Boca Chica. Ascent was successful, with Ship 28 accelerated into a -55 x 235 km suborbital trajectory with reentry over Indian Ocean. Booster 10 turned and completed a 13 engine boost-back burn. The Booster 10 "landing" burn failed with only 3 of 13 planned Raptors starting, and only briefly. Ship 28 attempted a payload door opening test and was to do a propellant transfer test during its nearly 40 minute coast. A planned 1-engine restart could not take place due to excess roll rates. This would have been a very brief pro-grade burn that would have raised perigee to 50 km, shallowing reentry. Ship was tumbling before reentry, unable to align. It was then lost during reentry, with data loss at about T+49 min at 65 km at 25,707 km/hr.