/sci/ - Science & Math

>>11156362
>how that shit works
It's a two stage rocket, where the upper stage is also a Shuttle-style crew vehicle. But unlike Shuttle, the tankage is internal. The first stage is a giant fucking N1 sized 31 engine booster, that is supposed to fly back to the launchpad like Falcon. The real party trick is orbital refueling. The Starship / Superheavy stack should be able to put ~100-150t of cargo into LEO, but if you refuel Starship in orbit, it can put 150 tonnes on the surface of Mars.

There's also going to be a cargo / satellite launch version, and a tanker for said refueling.

The advantages over Shuttle are stainless steel construction, the use of methane instead of hydrogen, orbital refueling, 100% reusability, and modern thermal protection a lot more durable than the foam and glue Shuttle used. Stainless steel requires a lot less thermal protection because it has a lot higher thermal tolerance, and it gains strength at cryogenic temperatures.

The end goal is "fuel and go" reusability. Musk wants to be able to land Starship, crane it back on top of Superheavy, refuel the stack, and launch again. This will also enable the biggest meme SpaceX is taking seriously – point to point flight on Earth. New York to Shanghai in 30 minutes by missile.

>>11115070
Mk 1 isn't going orbital, Mk 4 is. We don't know if Mk 4 will have heat shielding, but I think it's a fairly good guess that it will. Either way, the first Superheavy will absolutely be recovered, and Superheavy is the size of an SLS or Saturn core.