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#REDIRECT [[SpaceX Starship#Development]] {{R from merge}} {{R to section}}
{{redirect|Super Heavy (rocket)|super heavy rockets|Super heavy-lift launch vehicle}}
<!-- COMMON MISSPELLINGS (incorrect -> correct):
* Space X/spacex/space x -> SpaceX
* moon (as in Earth's largest moon) -> Moon
* earth (as in the planet) -> Earth
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{{Short description|Reusable space launch and spacecraft system developed by SpaceX}}
{{Infobox rocket
| image= BFR in flight (cropped).png
| image_size=300px
| caption= Artistic rendition of the Big Falcon Rocket during ascent
| name= 1st stage: "Super Heavy"<br />2nd stage: ''Starship'' <!-- the entire two-stage launch vehicle, formerly known as "BFR" and "Big Falcon Rocket" was not renamed to "Starship" ; unfortunately, SpaceX did not provide any new name for the entire LV in Nov 2018, so the sources that address the entire LV still mostly use "BFR", and a few use "Big Falcon Rocket"-->
| function= {{plainlist|
* [[Mars colonization]]
* [[Cislunar|Earth–lunar transport]]
* [[Interplanetary spaceflight|Multiplanetary transport]]
* [[Human spaceflight#Passenger travel via spacecraft|Intercontinental transport]]
* [[Reusable launch system|Orbital launcher]]<ref name="musk20170929"/>
* [[Space tourism]] ([[SpaceX lunar tourism mission|lunar mission]])<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
}}
| manufacturer= [[SpaceX]]
| | cpl=
| country-origin= United States
| pcost = US$5 billion, estimated<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
| height= {{cvt|118|m}}
| diameter= {{cvt|9|m}}
| mass= {{cvt|4,400,000|kg|lb}}<ref name=nsf20180809/> {{update inline|reason=This figure may not reflect more recent changes in the overall design|date=September 2018}}
| stages = 2
| capacities =
{{Infobox rocket/Payload
| ___location = [[Low Earth orbit|LEO]]
| mass = {{cvt|100,000|kg|lb|disp=preunit|+}}<br/><small>(fully reusable)</small><ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
}}
{{Infobox rocket/Payload
| ___location = [[Lunar orbit|Moon]]
| mass = {{cvt|100,000|kg|lb|disp=preunit|+}}<br/><small>(with orbital refueling)</small><ref name=sx20160920/>
}}
{{Infobox rocket/Payload
| ___location = [[Areocentric orbit|Mars]]
| mass = {{cvt|100,000|kg|lb|disp=preunit|+}}<br/><small>(with orbital refueling)</small><ref name="SpaceX20180917"/><ref name=sx20160920/>
}}
| status = In development<ref name=sn20180312/>
| first = 2020 (planned)<ref name=phisorg20180319/>
| sites =
Test flights:{{plainlist|
*[[SpaceX South Texas Launch Site|South Texas]]<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>}}
Operational flights:{{plainlist|
<small>''Not selected, options include:''</small>
* [[Floating launch platform]]<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
* [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]] [[LC-39A]]
* [[SpaceX South Texas Launch Site|South Texas]]}}
Transcontinental shuttle:{{plainlist|
* Outside major cities<ref name="musk20170929"/>}}
| stagedata=
{{Infobox rocket/Stage
| type = stage
| stageno = First
| name = Super Heavy<ref name=gw20181119/>
| length = {{cvt|63|m}}<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
| diameter = {{cvt|9|m}}
| gross = {{cvt|3,065,000|kg|lb}} {{update inline|reason=This figure may not reflect more recent changes in the overall design|date=September 2018}}
| engines = 31 × [[Raptor (rocket engine family)|Raptor]]<ref name=pm20180207/>
| thrust = {{cvt|61.8|MN|lbf}}<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/> <!-- "200-ton thrust" = 1993kN x 31 = 61,783 MN-->
| SI = {{cvt|330|isp}}<ref name="musk20170929"/>
| fuel = Subcooled [[Liquid methane|{{chem2|CH4}}]]{{\}}[[Liquid oxygen|LOX]]
}}
{{Infobox rocket/Stage
| type = stage
| stageno = Second
| name = ''Starship''<ref name=gw20181119/>
| length = {{cvt|55|m}}<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
| diameter = {{cvt|9|m}}
| empty = {{cvt|85,000|kg|lb}} {{update inline|reason=This figure may not reflect more recent changes in the overall design|date=September 2018}}
| gross = {{cvt|1,335,000|kg|lb}} {{update inline|reason=This figure may not reflect more recent changes in the overall design|date=September 2018}}
| propmass = {{plainlist|
* {{cvt|240,000|kg|lb}} [[Liquid methane|{{chem2|CH4}}]] {{update inline|reason=This figure may not reflect more recent changes in the overall design|date=September 2018}}
* {{nowrap|{{cvt|860,000|kg|lb}} [[Liquid oxygen|LOX]]}} {{update inline|reason=This figure may not reflect more recent changes in the overall design|date=September 2018}}
}}
| engines = 7 × [[Raptor (rocket engine family)|Raptor]]<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
| thrust = {{cvt|13.9|MN|lbf}}<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/> <!-- "200-ton thrust" = 1993kN x 7 = 13,951 MN-->
| SI = {{cvt|380|isp}} (vacuum)<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
| fuel = Subcooled [[Liquid methane|{{chem2|CH4}}]]{{\}}[[Liquid oxygen|LOX]]
}}
}}
The '''Big Falcon Rocket''' (officially shortened to '''BFR''') is a [[private equity|privately-funded]], [[Reusable launch system|fully-reusable]] [[launch vehicle]] and [[spacecraft]] system in [[New product development|development]] by [[SpaceX]]. In November 2018 the second stage and ship was renamed by [[Elon Musk]] to ''Starship'', while the first stage was given the moniker "Super Heavy". The overall space vehicle architecture includes both launch vehicle and spacecraft, as well as ground infrastructure for rapid [[rocket launch|launch]] and [[reusable launch system|relaunch]], and [[zero-gravity]] [[propellant depot|propellant transfer technology]] to be deployed in [[low Earth orbit]] (LEO). The payload capacity to Earth orbit of at least {{convert|100,000|kg|lb|abbr=on}} makes BFR a [[super heavy-lift launch vehicle]]. However, if the pattern seen in previous iterations holds, BFR/Starship could be capable of launching 150 tons or more to low earth orbit, more than any other launch vehicle currently planned. The first orbital flight is tentatively planned for 2020.<ref name=phisorg20180319>{{Cite news|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-03-spacex-bfr-orbital.html|title=The first SpaceX BFR should make orbital launches by 2020|date=2018-03-19|access-date=2018-10-14}}</ref>
SpaceX has been developing a super heavy-lift launch vehicle for many years, with the design (and [[nomenclature]]) of the vehicle undergoing several revisions over time. Before 2016, the vehicle was referred to as the '''Mars Colonial Transporter''' (MCT), then in 2016 [[Elon Musk]] presented the vehicle as the [[ITS launch vehicle]], forming a core part of Musk's comprehensive vision for an [[SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure|Interplanetary Transport System]] (ITS).<ref name=nsf20180809/><ref name="ars20160918">{{cite news | author=Eric Berger | url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/spacexs-interplanetary-transport-system-will-go-well-beyond-mars/ | title=Elon Musk scales up his ambitions, considering going "well beyond" Mars | work=[[Ars Technica]] | date=18 September 2016 | accessdate=19 September 2016}}</ref> In September 2017, the design changed to a much smaller {{cvt|9|m|adj=on}}-diameter vehicle and was renamed BFR.<ref name=sn20170929/><ref name=sfn20170929/>
The launch vehicle design is dependent on the concurrent development work on the [[Raptor (rocket engine family)|Raptor rocket engines]], which are [[Cryogenics|cryogenic]] [[Liquid rocket propellant#Methane|methalox]]-fueled engines to be used for both stages of the BFR launch vehicle. Development on the Raptor began in 2012, leading to engine testing which began in 2016.
The BFR system is intended to completely replace all of SpaceX's existing space hardware (the [[Falcon 9]] and [[Falcon Heavy]] launch vehicles, and the [[Dragon spacecraft]]), initially aiming at the Earth-orbit [[Space launch market competition|launch market]], but explicitly adding substantial capability to support [[Beyond Earth orbit|long-duration spaceflight]] in the [[cislunar]] and [[Exploration of Mars|Mars transport flight]] environments.<ref name="musk20170929"/><ref name=nsf20180809/><ref name="Dent20170929"/>
==History==
The development of the BFR, as unveiled in 2017, got started in 2012, when in March, news accounts asserted that a Raptor upper-stage engine had begun development, although no details were released at that time.<ref>{{cite news | author=Zach Rosenberg | title=SpaceX readies upgraded engines | url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/spacex-readies-upgraded-engines-369600/ | accessdate=17 January 2018 | work=Flightglobal | date=16 March 2012 | quote=SpaceX is in the midst of a variety of ambitious engine programmes, including the Merlin 2, a significant modification of the Merlin 1 series, and the Raptor upper stage engine. Details of both projects are tightly held.}}</ref> In October 2012, Musk publicly stated a high-level plan to build a second reusable rocket system with capabilities substantially beyond the Falcon 9/[[Falcon Heavy]] launch vehicles on which SpaceX had by then spent several billion US dollars.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/spacex-aims-big-with-massive-new-rocket-377687/ | title=SpaceX aims big with massive new rocket | date=15 October 2012 | author=Zach Rosenberg | accessdate=28 October 2015 | publisher=Flight Global}}</ref> This new vehicle was to be "an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster ... 'much bigger'." But Musk indicated that SpaceX would not be speaking publicly about it until 2013.<ref name="dn20121213">{{cite news | url=http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/mars-colony-spacex-121126.htm | title=Huge Mars Colony Eyed by SpaceX Founder | date=13 December 2012 | accessdate=14 March 2014 | publisher=Discovery News | dead-url=usurped | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115083758/http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/mars-colony-spacex-121126.htm | archive-date=15 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="sdc20121123">{{cite news | author=Rod Coppinger | title=Huge Mars Colony Eyed by SpaceX Founder Elon Musk | url=http://www.space.com/18596-mars-colony-spacex-elon-musk.html | accessdate=10 June 2013 | website=Space.com | date=23 November 2012 | quote=The fully reusable rocket that Musk wants to take colonists to Mars is an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster.... 'It's going to be much bigger [than Falcon 9], but I don’t think we’re quite ready to state the payload. We’ll speak about that next year,' Musk said. ... 'Vertical landing is an extremely important breakthrough — extreme, rapid reusability.'}}</ref>
In June 2013, Musk stated that he intended to hold off any potential [[initial public offering]] of SpaceX shares on the stock market until after the "[[Mars Colonial Transporter]] is flying regularly."<ref>{{cite news | author=Steve Schaefer | title=SpaceX IPO Cleared For Launch? Elon Musk Says Hold Your Horses | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2013/06/06/with-tesla-and-solarcity-soaring-elon-musk-talks-down-spacex-ipo-plans/ | accessdate=10 June 2013 | newspaper=Forbes | date=6 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Chris Ciaccia | title=SpaceX IPO: 'Possible in the Very Long Term' | url=http://www.thestreet.com/story/11943630/1/spacex-ipo-possible-in-the-very-long-term.html | accessdate=10 June 2013 | newspaper=The Street | date=6 June 2013}}</ref>
In August 2014, media sources speculated that the initial [[flight test]] of the Raptor-driven super-heavy launch vehicle could occur as early as 2020, in order to fully test the engines under orbital spaceflight conditions; however, any colonization effort was reported to be "deep into the future".<ref>{{cite news | author=Alan Boyle | title=Coming Soon From SpaceX's Elon Musk: How to Move to Mars | url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/coming-soon-spacexs-elon-musk-how-move-mars-n280311 | accessdate=8 January 2015 | work=NBC News | date=5 January 2015 | quote=The Mars transport system will be a completely new architecture. Am hoping to present that towards the end of this year. Good thing we didn't do it sooner, as we have learned a huge amount from Falcon and Dragon.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Chris Bergin | title=Battle of the Heavyweight Rockets -- SLS could face Exploration Class rival | url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/08/battle-heavyweight-rockets-sls-exploration-rival/ | accessdate=30 August 2014 | website=NASAspaceflight.com | date=29 August 2014}}</ref>
In early 2015, Musk said that he hoped to release details in late 2015 of the "completely new architecture" for the system that would enable the [[colonization of Mars]]. Those plans were delayed,<ref>{{cite news | author=Chris Heath | title=How Elon Musk Plans on Reinventing the World (and Mars) | url=https://www.gq.com/story/elon-musk-mars-spacex-tesla-interview | accessdate=12 December 2015 | work=GQ | date=12 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference | title=2016 StartmeupHK Venture Forum - Elon Musk on Entrepreneurship and Innovation | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRqB5iqWA8 | conference=StartmeupHK Venture Forum--2016 | conferenceurl=http://www.startmeup.hk/en/startmeuphk-festival-2016/forum/ | publisher=Invest Hong Kong | via=YouTube | date=26 January 2016 | accessdate=26 January 2016 | medium=video | time=30:15-31:40 | quote=We'll have the next generation rocket and spacecraft, beyond the Falcon and Dragon series... I'm hoping to describe that architecture later this year at the International Astronautical Congress. which is the big international space event every year. ... first flights to Mars? we're hoping to do that in around 2025 ... nine years from now or thereabouts.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Alan Boyle | url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacexs-elon-musk-wants-to-go-into-space-by-2021-and-start-sending-people-to-mars-by-2025/ | title=SpaceX’s Elon Musk wants to go into space by 2021 and start Mars missions by 2025 | work=GeekWire | date=27 January 2016 | accessdate=29 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="wapo20160613">{{cite news | title=Elon Musk provides new details on his 'mind blowing' mission to Mars | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/10/Elon-musk-provides-new-details-on-his-mind-blowing-mission-to-mars/ | work=[[Washington Post]] | date=13 June 2016 | author=Christian Davenport | accessdate=14 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Alan Boyle | url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-colonize-mars/://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-colonize-mars/ | title=SpaceX’s Elon Musk makes the big pitch for his decades-long plan to colonize Mars | work=[[GeekWire]] | date=27 September 2016 | accessdate=3 October 2016}}</ref> following a [[Falcon 9 Flight 19|launch failure in June 2015]] until after SpaceX returned to flight in late December 2015.<ref name=nsf20180809/>
In September 2016, at the 67th annual meeting of the [[International Astronautical Congress]], Musk unveiled substantial details of a design for a much larger transport vehicle, {{convert|12|m|sp=us}} in diameter, the [[ITS launch vehicle]], aimed specifically at the interplanetary transport [[use case]]. At the time, the system architecture was referred to as the "Interplanetary Transport System" (ITS)<ref name=ars20160918/><ref name=nsf20180809/> and included detailed discussion of the overall [[SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure|SpaceX Mars transportation mission architecture]]. This included the launch vehicle (the very large size 12-meter core diameter, vehicle construction material, number and type of engines, thrust, cargo and passenger payload capabilities) but also on-orbit propellant-tanker refills, representative transit times, and various portions of the Mars-side and Earth-side infrastructure that SpaceX would require to support a set of three flight vehicles. The three distinct vehicles that made up the 2016 ITS launch vehicle concept were the:<ref name=musk20170929/><ref name="NYT-20160927">{{cite news | author=Kenneth Chang | title=Elon Musk's Plan: Get Humans to Mars, and Beyond | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/science/elon-musk-spacex-mars-exploration.html | date=27 September 2016 | work=[[New York Times]] | accessdate=27 September 2016}}</ref>
* [[ITS launch vehicle#ITS booster|ITS booster]], the first-stage of the launch vehicle
* [[ITS launch vehicle#Interplanetary spaceship|ITS spaceship]], a second-stage and long-duration in-space spacecraft
* [[ITS launch vehicle#ITS tanker|ITS tanker]], an alternative second-stage designed to carry more propellant for refueling other vehicles in space
The talk included presentation of a larger systemic vision, aspirationally hoping that other interested parties (whether companies, individuals, or governments) would utilize the new and significantly lower-cost transport infrastructure that SpaceX hoped to build in order enable a [[Colonization of Mars|sustainable human civilization on Mars]].<ref name=nsf20180809/><!-- nsf20180809 quote: "Musk's presentations showed that SpaceX would like to be the transportation company enabling the colonization of Mars, reducing the firm's expenses and risk. This, however, will mean that it must rely upon third parties to figure out the difficult logistics of creating and growing a colony on Mars. However, this may change as Musk has been noted in the past to grow impatient with the slow progress of others, and to undertake the tasks he sees as required himself." --><ref>{{cite news | author=Eric Berger | url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/musks-mars-moment-audacity-madness-brilliance-or-maybe-all-three/ | title=Musk’s Mars moment: Audacity, madness, brilliance—or maybe all three | work=[[Ars Technica]] | date=28 September 2016 | accessdate=13 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Jeff Foust | url=http://www.spacenewsmag.com/feature/can-elon-musk-get-to-mars/ | title=Can Elon Musk get to Mars? | work=[[SpaceNews]] | date=10 October 2016 | accessdate=12 October 2016}}</ref>
In July 2017, Musk indicated that the architecture had "evolved quite a bit" since the 2016 articulation of the Mars architecture. A key driver of the updated architecture was to be making the system useful for substantial Earth-orbit and cislunar launches so that the system might pay for itself, in part, through economic spaceflight activities in the near-Earth space zone.<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Elon Musk | date=19 July 2017 | title=Elon Musk, ISS R&D Conference | medium=video | via=YouTube | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqvBhhTtUm4?t=852 | accessdate=13 September 2017 | time=49:48–51:35 | ___location=ISS R&D Conference, Washington DC, USA | quote=the updated version of the Mars architecture: Because it has evolved quite a bit since that last talk. ... The key thing that I figured out is how do you pay for it? If we downsize the Mars vehicle, make it capable of doing Earth-orbit activity as well as Mars activity, maybe we can pay for it by using it for Earth-orbit activity. That is one of the key elements in the new architecture. It is similar to what was shown at IAC, but a little bit smaller. Still big, but this one has a shot at being real on the economic front.}}</ref> In September 2018, a less drastic redesign was announced, stretching the second stage slightly and adding radially-steerable forward [[Canard (aeronautics)|canards]] and aft [[Aerodynamic force|fins]], used for pitch control in a new reentry profile resembling a descending skydiver. The aft fins act as landing legs, with a third leg on the top that looks identical but serves no aerodynamic purpose.<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
=== Unveiling ===
In September 2017, at the 68th annual meeting of the [[International Astronautical Congress]], SpaceX unveiled the updated vehicle architecture. Musk said "we are searching for the right name, but the code name, at least, is BFR."<ref name="musk20170929"/> The 2017 design is a {{convert|9|m|ft|sp=us|adj=on}} diameter technology, using [[methalox]]-fueled [[Raptor (rocket engine family)|Raptor rocket engine technology]] directed initially at the Earth-orbit and cislunar environment, later, being used for flights to Mars.<ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name="sn20170929">{{cite news | author=Jeff Foust | url=http://spacenews.com/musk-unveils-revised-version-of-giant-interplanetary-launch-system/ | title=Musk unveils revised version of giant interplanetary launch system | work=[[SpaceNews]] | date=29 September 2017 | accessdate=1 October 2017}}</ref>
[[File:SpaceX BFR launch vehicle.jpg|thumb|left|2017 BFR]]
The 2017 design was cylindrical with a small [[delta wing]] at the rear end which included a [[split flap]] for [[Aircraft principal axes|pitch and roll control]]. The delta wing and split flaps were said to be needed to expand the [[flight envelope]] to allow the ship to land in a variety of [[gas density|atmospheric densities]] (no, thin, or heavy atmosphere) with a wide range of payloads (small, heavy, or none) in the nose of the ship.<ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name=musk20170929/>{{rp|18:05–19:25}} Three versions of the ship were described: BFS cargo, BFS tanker, and BFS crew. The cargo version will be used to launch satellites to low Earth orbit—delivering "significantly more satellites at a time than anything that has been done before"<ref name=musk201803journal/>—as well as for cargo transport to the Moon and Mars. After retanking in a high-[[Elliptic orbit|elliptic]] Earth orbit<!-- periapsis would be low-LEO, and apoapsis would be somewhere in the [[high Earth orbit]] zone, per Musk's statement; but the orbit would not be an HEO orbit --> the spaceship is being designed to be able to land on the Moon and return to Earth without further refueling.<ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name=musk20170929/>{{rp|31:50}}
Additionally, the BFR system was shown to theoretically have the capability to carry passengers and/or cargo in rapid Earth-to-Earth transport, delivering its payload anywhere on Earth within 90 minutes.<ref name=musk201803journal/>
By September 2017, Raptor engines had been tested for a combined total of 1200 seconds of test firing time over 42 main engine tests. The longest test was 100 seconds, which is limited by the size of the propellant tanks at the SpaceX ground test facility. The test engine operates at {{convert|20|MPa|bar psi|lk=in|abbr=on}} pressure. The flight engine is aimed for {{convert|25|MPa|bar psi|lk=in|abbr=on}}, and SpaceX expects to achieve {{convert|30|MPa|bar psi|lk=in|abbr=on}} in later iterations.<ref name=musk20170929/> In November 2017, SpaceX president and COO [[Gwynne Shotwell]] indicated that approximately half of all development work on BFR was then focused on the [[Raptor (rocket engine family)|Raptor]] engine.<ref name=sn20171121>{{cite news |first=Caleb |last=Henry |url=http://spacenews.com/spacex-aims-to-follow-a-banner-year-with-an-even-faster-2018-launch-cadence/ |title=SpaceX aims to follow a banner year with an even faster 2018 launch cadence |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=21 November 2017 |accessdate=15 January 2018 |quote=Shotwell estimated that around 50 percent of the work on BFR is focused on the Raptor engines.}}</ref>
The aspirational goal in 2017 was to send the first two cargo missions to Mars in 2022,<ref name=musk201803journal/> with the goal to "confirm water resources and identify hazards" while putting "power, mining, and life support infrastructure" in place for future flights, followed by four ships in 2024, two crewed BFR spaceships plus two cargo-only ships bringing additional equipment and supplies with the goal of setting up the propellant production plant.<ref name="musk20170929"/>
In a subsequent announcement held at SpaceX's Hawthorne headquarters in September 2018, Elon Musk showed a redesign of the BFS with added three rear fins and two front canard fins. The revised BFR concept has seven identically-sized Raptor engines in the second stage. The second stage also has two small actuating fins near the nose of the ship, and three large fins at the base, two of which actuate, and all three doubling as landing legs.<ref name=teslarati_moonflight>{{cite news |author=Eric Ralph |title=SpaceX has signed a private passenger for the first BFR launch around the Moon |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-private-passenger-bfr-moon-mission/ |accessdate=14 September 2018 |date=14 September 2018}}</ref> Additionally, an initial 2023 lunar circumnavigation mission was announced. The spaceship is to be used for a proposed [[private spaceflight|private]] [[dearMoon project|mission]] to fly [[space tourism|space tourists]] around the [[Moon]], sponsored by [[Yusaku Maezawa]] along with several artists of various disciplines.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-will-send-yusaku-maezawa-and-artists-to-the-moon/|title=Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Send Yusaku Maezawa (and Artists!) to the Moon|work=WIRED|access-date=2018-09-18|language=en-US}}</ref>
SpaceX also stated in the second half of the month that they were "no longer planning to upgrade Falcon 9 second stage for reusability."<ref name=sn2-181117>[https://spacenews.com/musk-hints-at-further-changes-in-bfr-design/ Musk hints at further changes in BFR design]</ref> The two major parts of the BFR launch vehicle were also given their own descriptive names in November: ''Starship'' for the spaceship/upper stage and "Super Heavy" for the booster stage "needed to escape Earth’s deep gravity well (not needed for other planets or moons)."<ref name=gw20181119>
{{cite news |last=Boyle|first=Alan |authorlink=Alan Boyle |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2018/goodbye-bfr-hello-starship-elon-musk-gives-classic-name-mars-spaceship/ |title=Goodbye, BFR … hello, Starship: Elon Musk gives a classic name to his Mars spaceship |work=[[GeekWire]] |date=19 November 2018 |accessdate=22 November 2018 |quote=''Starship is the spaceship/upper stage & Super Heavy is the rocket booster needed to escape Earth’s deep gravity well (not needed for other planets or moons)'' }}</ref>
=== Construction begins ===
By early 2018, the first ship was under construction, and SpaceX had begun constructing a new permanent production facility to build the 9-meter vehicles at the [[Port of Los Angeles]]. Manufacture of the [[First article inspection|first ship]] was underway by March 2018 in a [[Tensile structure|temporary facility]] at the port,<ref name="sn20180312" /> with first [[Sub-orbital spaceflight|suborbital]] [[flight testing|test flights]] planned for no earlier than 2019.<ref name="sn20180312" /><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KORTP545vAc Falcon Heavy maiden flight press conference]</ref> The company continued to state publicly its aspirational goal for initial Mars-bound cargo flights of BFR launching as early as 2022, followed by the first crewed flight to Mars one [[synodic period]] later, in 2024,<ref name="sn20180312" /><ref name="sn20170929" /> consistent with the no-earlier-than dates mentioned in late-2017.
Back in 2015, SpaceX had been scouting for manufacturing facility locations to build the large rocket, with locations being investigated in [[California]], [[Texas]], [[Louisiana]],<ref name=lat20180419/> and [[Florida]].<ref name=portauthorityboard20180419>{{cite AV media |url=http://portofla.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=1148 |time=35:36 |people=Michael DiBernardo |title=Port Authority of Los Angeles, Regular Board Meeting |date=19 April 2018 |medium=video |publisher=LA: The Port of Los Angeles |via=YouTube |accessdate=21 April 2018}}</ref> By September 2017, SpaceX had already started building launch vehicle components. "The tooling for the main tanks has been ordered, the facility is being built, we will start construction of the first ship [in the second quarter of 2018.]"<ref name=musk20170929/>
In March 2018, SpaceX publicly announced that it would manufacture its next-generation, {{convert|9|m|ft|sp=us|adj=mid|-diameter}} launch vehicle and spaceship at a new facility the company is constructing in 2018–2019 on Seaside Drive at the [[Port of Los Angeles]]. The company had leased an 18-acre site for 10 years, with multiple renewals possible, and will use the site for manufacturing, recovery from shipborne landings, and refurbishment of both the booster and the spaceship.<ref name=ars20180319>{{cite news |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/03/spacex-indicates-it-will-manufacture-the-bfr-rocket-in-los-angeles/ |title=SpaceX indicates it will manufacture the BFR rocket in Los Angeles |work=[[Ars Technica]] |last=Berger |first=Eric |date=19 March 2018 |accessdate=21 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/37659376821 |title=Fireside Chat with SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell |publisher=Flickr.com |date=11 October 2017 |accessdate=7 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-gears-up-to-finally-actually-launch-the-falcon-heavy/ |title=SpaceX Gears Up to Finally, Actually Launch the Falcon Heavy |work=Wired |first=Robin |last=Seemangal |date=1 February 2018 |accessdate=7 March 2018 |quote=SpaceX is actively considering expanding its San Pedro, California facility to begin manufacturing its interplanetary spacecraft. This would allow SpaceX to easily shift personnel from headquarters in Hawthorne.}}</ref> Final [[regulatory authority|regulatory]] approval of the new manufacturing facility came from the Board of Harbor Commissioners in April 2018,<ref name=lat20180419>{{cite news |last=Masunaga|first=Samantha |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-port-la-20180419-story.html |title=SpaceX gets approval to develop its BFR rocket and spaceship at Port of Los Angeles |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2018-04-19 |accessdate=2018-04-21 }}</ref> and the [[Los Angeles City Council]] in May.<ref>{{cite news |last=Masunaga |first=Samantha |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-bfr-council-20180508-story.html |title=All systems are go for SpaceX’s BFR rocket facility at Port of Los Angeles after City Council OKs plan |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=8 May 2018 |accessdate=24 May 2018}}</ref> By that time, approximately 40 SpaceX employees were working on the design and construction of BFR.<ref name=lat20180419/> Over time, the project is expected to have 700 technical jobs.<ref name=portauthorityboard20180419/> The permanent facility is expected to be a {{convert|203500|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} prefabricated{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} building that would be {{convert|105|ft|m}} tall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Regular Meeting, Planning & Strategy, Resolution |url=https://www.portoflosangeles.org/Board/2018/May%202018/05_03_18_Agenda_Item_1(b).pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140316/https://www.portoflosangeles.org/Board/2018/May%202018/05_03_18_Agenda_Item_1(b).pdf |dead-url=yes |archive-date=12 June 2018 |website=Port of Los Angeles |accessdate=6 June 2018}} </ref>
The fully assembled launch vehicle is expected to be "transported by barge, through the [[Panama Canal]], to Cape Canaveral in Florida for launch."<ref name=lat20180419/><!-- other sources would be helpful, as some have previously indicated BFR flights from the south Texas launch site. -->
Nine months after starting construction of some parts of the first [[test article (aerospace)|test article]] carbon composite ''Starship'' low-altitude test vehicle, SpaceX CEO Musk announced that the "counterintuitive new design approach" he had been mentioning for a month was that the primary construction material for the rocket's structure and propellant tanks would be [[metal]];<ref name=musk20181208a>[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1071572534921900033 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1071572534921900033]</ref> "Fairly heavy metal, but extremely strong."<ref name=musk20181208b>[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1071578086418788352 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1071578086418788352]</ref><ref name=tr20181209>
{{cite news |last=Ralph|first=Eric |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-elon-musk-new-starship-photos-heavy-metal-bfr/ |title=SpaceX CEO Elon Musk teases new Starship photos and “heavy metal” BFR |work=Teslarati |date=9 December 2018 |accessdate=9 December 2018 |quote=''wide-reaching changes to BFR’s general structural composite, Musk at long last confirmed what some suspected – now known as Starship/Super Heavy, the BFR program has officially moved away from carbon fiber composites as the primary material of choice for the rocket’s structure and propellant tanks, instead pivoting to what Musk described as a “fairly heavy metal”.'' }}</ref>
Following a personal trip to the [[SpaceX South Texas Launch Site|South Texas Launch Site]] in [[Boca Chica, Texas]], Elon Musk revealed on 23 December 2018 that the first [[test article (aerospace)|test article]] ''Starship'' had been under construction there for several weeks, out in the open on SpaceX property. The "hopper" was being built from a [[300-series stainless steel|special alloy]] of [[stainless steel]]—not [[carbon composite]] as previously thought. According to [[Elon Musk]], the reason for using this material is that "it’s [stainless steel] obviously cheap, it’s obviously fast—but it’s not obviously the lightest. But it is actually the lightest. If you look at the properties of a high-quality stainless steel, the thing that isn’t obvious is that at cryogenic temperatures, the strength is boosted by 50 percent."<ref>{{cite web |last1=D'Agostino |first1=Ryan |title=Elon Musk: Why I'm Building the Starship out of Stainless Steel |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a25953663/elon-musk-spacex-bfr-stainless-steel/ |website=popularmechanics.com |publisher=[[Popular Mechanics]] |accessdate=January 22, 2019 |language=English |date=January 22, 2019}}</ref> ''Starship'' would be used on the initial [[Flight test|test flights]] to characterize the vehicle and develop the landing and low-altitude/low-velocity reentry control algorithms. The initial vehicle will fly with three of the seven possible Raptor [[methalox]] engines installed, and the initial flight is expected no earlier than the first half of 2019.<ref name=trati20181224>
{{cite news |last=Ralph|first=Eric |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-elon-musk-starship-prototype-three-raptors-mirror-finish/ |title=SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: Starship prototype to have 3 Raptors and “mirror finish” |work=[[Teslarati]] |date=24 December 2018 |accessdate=24 December 2018 }}</ref><ref name=sn20181224/>
In January 2019, SpaceX changed course and said it would also build the second test vehicle—the ''Starship'' orbital prototype—in Texas, after having earlier said that it would be built in the Port of Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/spacex-to-shift-starship-production-from-california-to-texas/ |title=SpaceX to shift Starship work from California to Texas |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=16 January 2019 |accessdate=21 January 2019 |quote=Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive of SpaceX, said that development of the vehicle itself, including the Raptor engines that power it, would continue in Hawthorne, while at least the prototype versions of Starship are built in Texas. “We are building the Starship prototypes locally at our launch site in Texas, as their size makes them very difficult to transport,” he said.}}</ref>
=== Testing ===
Testing began at the [[subsystem]] level, as it does with most launch vehicles, with rocket engine component tests, followed by tests of the complete rocket engine in [[Rocket engine test facility|ground test facilities]]. [[Raptor engine]] component-level testing began in May 2014<ref name=mseigs20140421>
{{cite news |last=Guess|first=Natalie |title=NASA, SpaceX Cut Ribbon To Launch Testing Partnership |url=http://mseigs.com/nasa-spacex-cut-ribbon-to-launch-testing-partnership/ |accessdate=22 April 2014 |newspaper=MS EIGS |date=21 April 2014}}</ref>
with the first full-engine test in September 2016.<ref name=nsf20161003>
{{cite news |last=Belluscio|first=Alejandro G. |title=ITS Propulsion – The evolution of the SpaceX Raptor engine |work=[[NASASpaceFlight.com]] |date=3 October 2016 |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/10/its-propulsion-evolution-raptor-engine/ |accessdate=24 November 2018}}</ref>
By September 2017, the development Raptor engine had undergone 1200 seconds of hotfire testing in [[Rocket engine test facility|ground-test stands]] across 42 main engine tests, with the longest test at that time being 100 seconds.<ref name=musk20170929/>
SpaceX indicated in November 2018 that they were considering testing a heavily-modified Falcon 9 second stage that would look like a "[[Falcon 9 second-stage mini-BFR test vehicle|mini-BFR Ship]]" and be used for [[atmospheric reentry]] [[flight testing|testing]] of a number of technologies needed for the full-scale spaceship, including an ultra-light [[heat shield]] and high-[[Mach number|Mach]] control surfaces.<ref name=sn20181107>
{{cite news |last=Foust| first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/spacex-to-modify-falcon-9-upper-stage-to-test-bfr-technologies/ |title=SpaceX to modify Falcon 9 upper stage to test BFR technologies |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=7 November 2018 |accessdate=2018-11-08 |quote="Falcon 9 second stage will be upgraded to be like a mini-BFR Ship," Musk said. The BFR’s upper stage is sometimes referred to as a "spaceship" }}</ref><ref name="teslarati.com">[https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-miniature-bfr-spaceship-falcon-9-launch-elon-musk/ SpaceX to build small version of BFR's spaceship for use on Falcon 9, says Elon Musk]. Eric Ralph, Teslarati. 7 November 2018.</ref><ref name=engadget20181107>[https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/08/spacex-mini-bfr/ SpaceX plans shortcut to test a mini version of its Big Falcon Rocket]. Mariella Moon, ''EnGadget''. 7 November 2018.</ref> Several weeks later, Musk clarified that SpaceX would not build a mini-BFR but would accelerate development of the full-sized BFR instead.<ref>[https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-ceo-elon-musk-kills-mini-bfr-spaceship-two-weeks-after-announcement/ SpaceX CEO Elon Musk kills mini BFR spaceship 12 days after announcing it.] Eric Ralph, ''Teslarati''. 20 November 2018.<!-- source includes journalist reference to ''Buck Rogers'' and the "Tintin" rocket --></ref>
From as early as October 2017, the month after the BFR concept was unveiled, [[Flight testing|flight tests]] at the launch vehicle subsystem level of the Big Falcon Rocket were expected to begin with short suborbital hops of the full-scale reusable second stage—subsequently named ''Starship''—likely to be no more than few hundred kilometers altitude and lateral distance,<ref name=sn20171015c/> with initial test flights projected to be as early as 2019.<ref name=sn20180312>{{cite news |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=http://spacenews.com/musk-reiterates-plans-for-testing-bfr/ |title=Musk reiterates plans for testing BFR |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=12 March 2018 |accessdate=15 March 2018 |quote=Construction of the first prototype spaceship is in progress. 'We're actually building that ship right now,' he said. 'I think we'll probably be able to do short flights, short sort of up-and-down flights, probably sometime in the first half of next year.'}}</ref> By September 2018, it was clear that hops of the upper stage spaceship were to be conducted from the [[SpaceX South Texas Launch Site]] near [[Brownsville, Texas]].<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/>
SpaceX filed an application with the [[FCC]] in November 2018 for an experimental radio communications license to support the test flight program, with all test flights on that permit slated to remain under {{convert|5|km|ft|sp=us}} in altitude.<ref name=sn20181224>
{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/musk-teases-new-details-about-redesigned-next-generation-launch-system/ |title=Musk teases new details about redesigned next-generation launch system |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=24 December 2018 |accessdate=25 December 2018 }}</ref>
Both the test article ''Starship'' and the launch site were under construction in South Texas by late 2018<ref name=trati20181224/>
and the primary structure of the first test "hopper" was complete by 10 January 2019.<ref name=mw20190110>
{{cite news |last=Murphy|first=Mike |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/elon-musk-shows-off-spacexs-massive-starship-test-rocket-2019-01-10 |title=Elon Musk shows off SpaceX’s massive Starship test rocket |work=[[MarketWatch]] |date=10 January 2019 |accessdate=12 January 2019 }}</ref>
==Nomenclature==
At least as early as 2005, SpaceX had used the descriptor "BFR" for its planned large Mars rocket.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/497/1 | title=Big plans for SpaceX | author=Jeff Foust | work=The Space Review| date=14 November 2005}}</ref>
Beginning in mid-2013, SpaceX referred to both the architecture and the vehicle as the Mars Colonial Transporter.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2013/06/06/with-tesla-and-solarcity-soaring-elon-musk-talks-down-spacex-ipo-plans/ | title=SpaceX IPO Cleared For Launch? Elon Musk Says Hold Your Horses | author=Steve Schaefer | work=Forbes | date=6 June 2013}}</ref> By the time the large 12-meter diameter design was unveiled in September 2016, SpaceX had already begun referring to the overall system as the [[Interplanetary Transport System]] and the launch vehicle itself as the [[ITS launch vehicle]].
With the announcement of a new 9-meter design in September 2017, SpaceX resumed using the name "BFR".<ref name="sn20170929"/><ref name="sfn20170929">{{cite news | url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/09/29/elon-musk-revises-mars-plan-hopes-for-boots-on-ground-in-2024/ | title=Elon Musk revises Mars plan, hopes for boots on ground in 2024 | author=William Harwood | work=SpaceflightNow | date=29 September 2017 | accessdate=30 September 2017 | quote=The new rocket is still known as the BFR, a euphemism for 'Big (fill-in-the-blank) Rocket.' The reusable BFR will use 31 Raptor engines burning densified, or super-cooled, liquid methane and liquid oxygen to lift 150 tons, or 300,000 pounds, to low Earth orbit, roughly equivalent to NASA’s Saturn 5 moon rocket.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.spacex.com/media-gallery/detail/149426/9376 | title=Artist's Rendering Of The BFR | publisher=SpaceX | date=12 April 2017 | accessdate=3 October 2017 | language=en}}</ref> Musk said in the announcement "we are searching for the right name, but the code name, at least, is BFR."<ref name="musk20170929"/> SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell subsequently stated that BFR stands for "Big Falcon Rocket".<ref name="Acronym Explained">{{cite web | author=Mike Wall | title=What's in a Name? SpaceX's 'BFR' Mars Rocket Acronym Explained | url=https://www.space.com/38393-spacex-bfr-mars-colony-rocket-name.html | website=space.com | accessdate=11 February 2018}}</ref> However, Elon Musk has explained in the past that although BFR is the official name, he drew inspiration from the [[BFG (weapon)|BFG]] weapon in the [[Doom (franchise)|''Doom'']] video games.<ref name="gq-elon-interview">{{cite web|last1=Heath|first1=Chris|title=Elon Musk Is Ready to Conquer Mars|url=https://www.gq.com/story/elon-musk-mars-spacex-tesla-interview|website=GQ|accessdate=14 February 2018|language=en|date=12 December 2015}}</ref> The BFR has also occasionally been referred to informally by the media and internally at SpaceX as "Big Fucking Rocket".<ref name=RocketBillionaires>{{cite book |last=Fernholz |first=Tim |date=20 March 2018 |title=Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race |url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=9YosDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA244 |___location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |page=244 |isbn=978-1328662231 |quote=SpaceX would build a huge rocket: the BFR, or Big Falcon Rocket—or, more crudely among staff, the Big Fucking Rocket |author-link= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Slezak |first1=Michael |last2=Solon |first2=Olivia |date=29 September 2017 |title=Elon Musk: SpaceX can colonise Mars and build moon base |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/29/elon-musk-spacex-can-colonise-mars-and-build-base-on-oon |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |___location=London |access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Burgess |first=Matt |date=29 September 2017 |title=Elon Musk's Big Fucking Rocket to Mars is his most ambitious yet |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/elon-musk-bfr-big-rocket-earth-mars-spacex |magazine=[[Wired UK]] |___location=London |publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications]] |access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref> The upper stage is also the spaceship, or for a time in 2017–18 was referred to as "BFS".<ref group=NB> Big Falcon Spaceship </ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/08/spacewatch-tourists-wait-spacex-bigger-rocket Space tourists will have to wait as SpaceX plans bigger rocket]. Stu Clark, ''The Guardian''. 8 February 2018.</ref><ref name="68IAC-trans"/><ref>[http://www.catchnews.com/science-news/spacex-signs-its-first-passenger-to-fly-aboard-the-big-falcon-rocket-moon-mission-132574.html SpaceX signs its first passenger to fly aboard the Big Falcon Rocket Moon mission]. CatchNews. 14 September 2018.</ref> The booster first stage has also been referred to as the "BFB".<ref group=NB> Big Falcon Booster </ref><ref name=BI-2018-12-24> {{cite news |url= https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-big-falcon-rocket-spaceship-hopper-vehicle-launches-2018-12 |title= Elon Musk: SpaceX to launch a Starship spaceship prototype this spring |author= Dave Mosher |date= 24 December 2018 |publisher= Business Insider }} </ref><ref name=NHReg-2018-11-19> {{cite news |url= https://www.nhregister.com/technology/businessinsider/article/NASA-will-retire-its-new-mega-rocket-if-SpaceX-or-13401618.php |title= NASA 'will eventually retire' its new mega-rocket if SpaceX, Blue Origin can safely launch their own powerful rockets |author= Dave Mosher |date= 19 November 2018 |publisher= New Haven Register }} </ref><ref name=SiliconUK-2018-12-28> {{cite news |url= https://www.silicon.co.uk/workspace/spacex-starts-construction-of-mars-rocket-prototype-240005 |title= SpaceX Starts Construction Of Mars Rocket Prototype |author= Matthew Broersma |date= 28 December 2018 |publisher= Silicon.co.uk }} </ref> In November 2018, the spaceship was renamed '''''Starship''''', and the first stage booster was named '''Super Heavy'''.<ref name=gw20181119/><ref name=engadget20181120>{{cite news |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=SpaceX BFR has a new name: Starship |url=https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/20/starship-bfr-spacex/ |accessdate=21 November 2018 |work=Engadget |date=20 November 2018}}</ref>
Notably, in the fashion of SpaceX, even that term ''super heavy'' had been previously used by SpaceX in a different context. In February 2018, at about the time of the first [[Falcon Heavy]] launch, Musk "suggested the possibility of a Falcon Super Heavy—a Falcon Heavy with extra boosters. 'We could really dial it up to as much performance as anyone could ever want. If we wanted to we could actually add two more side boosters and make it Falcon Super Heavy.'"<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/5/16975850/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-elon-musk-tesla-questions | title=Here are four things we learned from Elon Musk before the first Falcon Heavy launch| date=2018-02-05}}</ref>
== Description ==
The SpaceX next-generation launch vehicle design combines [[SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure#Overview and major elements|several elements]] that, according to Musk, will make long-duration, [[beyond Earth orbit]] (BEO) spaceflights possible. The design is projected by SpaceX to reduce the per-ton cost of launches to low Earth orbit (LEO) and of transportation between BEO destinations. It will also serve all [[use cases]] for the conventional LEO [[Space launch market competition|market]]. This will allow SpaceX to focus the majority of their development resources on the next-generation launch vehicle.<ref name=musk20170929/><ref name=Dent20170929/><ref name="spacex-itsvideo201609-09:20">{{cite AV media | people=Elon Musk | date=27 September 2016 | title=Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species | medium=video | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Uyfqi_TE8 | accessdate=10 October 2016 | time=9:20–10:10 | ___location=[[Guadalajara, Mexico]] | publisher=SpaceX | quote="So it is a bit tricky. Because we have to figure out how to improve the cost of the trips to Mars by five million percent ... [which] translates to an improvement of approximately 4 1/2 orders of magnitude. These are the key elements that are needed ... to achieve ...[this] improvement. Most of the improvement would come from full reusability—somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 orders of magnitude—and then the other 2 orders of magnitude would come from refilling in orbit, propellant production on Mars, and choosing the right propellant."}}</ref><ref name=musk201803journal>{{cite journal |last1=Musk|first1=Elon |title=Making Life Multi-Planetary |journal=New Space |date=1 March 2018 |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=2–11 |doi=10.1089/space.2018.29013.emu |bibcode=2018NewSp...6....2M }}</ref>
The fully [[reusable launch vehicle|reusable]] [[super heavy-lift launch vehicle|super-heavy-lift]] Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) will consist of two main parts: a reusable booster stage, named ''Super Heavy'' and a reusable [[second stage]] with an integrated payload section, named ''Starship''.<ref name=gw20181119/><ref name=musk20170929/><!-- the two major parts of the vehicle were named ''Starship'' and ''Super Heavy'' only in November 2018 -->
Combining the second-stage of a launch vehicle with a long-duration spaceship will be a unique type of space mission architecture. This architecture is dependent on the success of orbital refueling.<ref name=musk201803journal/>
Major characteristics of the launch vehicle include:<ref name=nsf20180809/><ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name="sn20171015b"/><ref name=68IAC-trans>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/making_life_multiplanetary_transcript_2017.pdf |title=Making Life Multiplanetary: Abridged transcript of Elon Musk's presentation to the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia |publisher=SpaceX |date=September 2017}}</ref><ref name="SpaceX20180917" />
* Both stages are designed to be [[Fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle|completely reusable]], with the booster returning to land on the launch mount while the second-stage/spaceship will have the ability to return to near the launch mount. Both will use [[retropropulsive landing]] and the [[SpaceX reusable launch system development program|reusable launch vehicle technologies developed earlier by SpaceX]].
*The full BFR stack will stretch {{cvt|118|m}}, {{cvt|25|m}} taller than the Statue of Liberty.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/27/spacexs-bfr-spaceship-rocket-elon-musk-space-travel/1430175002/|title=8 things Elon Musk wants you to know about SpaceX's monster BFR spaceship|work=USA TODAY|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en}}</ref>
=== First stage: ''Super Heavy'' ===
{{anchor|BFR|Big Falcon Rocket|Super Heavy}}
The first stage, or booster—also referred to as ''Super Heavy''<!-- was given the descriptor ''Super Heavy'' in November 2018; previously just the "BFR first stage" --><ref name=engadget20181120/>—of the SpaceX next-generation launch vehicle is {{convert|63|m|sp=us}} long and {{cvt|9|m}} in diameter. It is expected to have a gross liftoff mass of {{cvt|3,065,000|kg|lb}}<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/> It is constructed of stainless steel tanks and structure, holding [[Subcooled propellant|subcooled]] [[liquid methane]] and [[liquid oxygen]] ({{chem2|CH4}}/LOX) propellants, powered by 31 [[Raptor (rocket engine family)|Raptor]] rocket engines<ref name=pm20180207>[https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a16672538/spacex-testing-new-rocket-bfr-next-year/ SpaceX Aims to Begin BFR Spaceship Flight Tests as Soon as Next Year]. Jay Bennett, ''Popular Mechanics''. 7 February 2018.</ref> providing {{cvt|61.8|MN|lbf}} total liftoff thrust.<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/><!-- "200-ton thrust" = 1993kN x 31 = 61,783 MN--> The booster is projected to return to land on the launch mount.<ref name=nsf20180809/><ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name="sn20171015b"/><ref name=68IAC-trans/>
=== Second stage and spaceship: ''Starship'' ===
{{anchor|BFS|Big Falcon Spaceship|Starship}}
''Starship''<ref name=engadget20181120/><ref name=gw20181119/> is a reusable launch vehicle second stage with an integrated payload section, and the ability to operate as a long-duration [[spacecraft]] on flights both in, and [[beyond Earth orbit]].<ref name=musk201803journal/> It will be built in at least three versions:<ref name=musk201803journal/>
*spaceship: a large, long-duration spacecraft capable of carrying [[Human spaceflight#Passenger travel in spacecraft|passengers]] or cargo to [[interplanetary space|interplanetary destinations]], to LEO, or [[Earth-to-Earth spaceflight|between destinations on Earth]].
*tanker: a cargo-only [[propellant tanker]] to support the [[propellant depot|refilling of propellants in Earth orbit]]. The tanker will enable launching a heavy spacecraft to interplanetary space as the spacecraft being refueled can use its tanks twice, first to reach LEO and afterwards to leave Earth orbit. This design reaches a {{nowrap|[[Delta-v]]}} similar to three-stage rockets without needing the corresponding large mass fractions.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}
*satellite delivery spacecraft: a vehicle with a large cargo bay door that can open in space to facilitate the placement of spacecraft into [[orbit]], or the recovery of spacecraft and space debris.
Some major characteristics of ''Starship'' include:<ref name=nsf20180809/><ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name="sn20171015b"/><ref name=68IAC-trans/>
* The ability to return to near the launch mount<!-- no source supports that the ship will land on the launch mount, as the booster is slated to do --> using [[retropropulsive landing]] and the [[SpaceX reusable launch system development program|reusable launch vehicle technologies developed earlier by SpaceX]].
* The landing reliability is projected by SpaceX to be able to ultimately achieve "airline levels" of safety due to engine-out capability.
* [[Proximity operations|Rendezvous]] and [[Docking and berthing of spacecraft|docking]] operations will be automated.
* There will be on-orbit propellant transfers from ''Starship'' tankers to ''Starship'' spaceships or cargo spaceships.
* A ''Starship'' and its payload will be able to [[Trans-lunar injection|transit to the Moon]] or [[Heliocentric orbit#Trans-Mars injection|fly to Mars]] after on-orbit propellant loading.
* [[Stainless steel]] structure and tank construction. Its [[strength-to-mass ratio]] is comparable to or better than the earlier design alternative of [[carbon fiber]] [[composite material|composites]] across the anticipated temperature ranges, from [[cryogenic]] to the high temperatures of [[atmospheric reentry]].<ref name=trati20181224/>
* some parts of the craft will be built with a stainless steel alloy that "has undergone [a type of] [[cryogenic]] treatment, in which metals are ... [[Cryogenic cold-forming|cold-formed]]/worked [to produce a] cryo-treated steel ... dramatically lighter and more wear-resistant than traditional hot-rolled steel."<ref name=trati20181224/>
* Heat-shields will be reusable. The same stainless steel alloy used to construct the vehicle structure and tankage, when unpainted and polished to a mirror-like finish, has a very high [[reflectivity]] facilitating [[atmospheric entry]] with much less [[thermal protection system|heat shielding]] than would have been required for the earlier design of carbon fiber.<ref name=trati20181224/>
* As envisioned in the 2017 design unveiling, the ''Starship'' is to have a pressurized volume of approximately {{cvt|1000|m3|ft3}}, which could be configured for up to 40 cabins, large common areas, central storage, a galley, and a solar storm shelter for Mars missions plus 12 unpressurized aft cargo containers of {{cvt|88|m3|ft3}} total.<ref name=68IAC-trans/><!-- subsequent versions (e.g., the Sep 2018 release) showed some differences, while having less discussion of the details of the cargo-transporting and/or passenger-accomodation portions of the ship. Moreover, high-level design iteration on the overall Starship is still progressing as of Nov 2018 -->
When ''Starship'' is used for [[Beyond Earth orbit|BEO]] launches to Mars, the functioning of the overall expedition system will include [[Rocket propellant resource extraction on Mars|propellant production on the Mars surface]]. This is necessary for the return trip and to reuse the spaceship at a minimal cost. Lunar destinations (some flybys, orbits and landings) will be possible without lunar-propellant depots, so long as the spaceship is refueled in a high-elliptical orbit before the lunar transit begins.<ref name=musk201803journal/> Some lunar flybys will be possible without orbital refueling as evidenced by the mission profile of the [[SpaceX lunar tourism mission]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu7WJD8vpAQ First Private Passenger on Lunar BFR Mission]. Press conference streamed live at YouTube by SpaceX. 17 September 2018.</ref>
=== Launch vehicle specifications and performance ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Specifications<ref name=musk20170929/><ref name="sn20171015b" />
! {{diagonal split header|<br />Attribute|Component}}
! Overall launch vehicle<br/>(booster + ship) !! ''Super Heavy'' (booster) !! ''Starship'' (spaceship/tanker/<br/>sat-delivery vehicle)
|-
! [[low Earth orbit|LEO]] payload
| {{cvt|100,000|kg|lb|disp=preunit|+}}<ref name=sx20160920>{{Cite web | url=https://www.spacex.com/mars | title=Mars| date=2016-09-20}}</ref>|| ||
|-
! Return payload
|| || || {{cvt|50,000|kg|lb}}<ref name="68IAC-trans" />{{Update inline|reason=Does this still hold after the update in design?|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
|-
! Cargo volume
|| {{cvt|1088|m3|ft3|disp=preunit|+}}<ref name=sx20160920/>|| N/A || {{cvt|1000|m3|ft3|disp=preunit|+}}<ref name=sx20160920/><br/><small>(pressurized)</small><br/>{{cvt|88|m3|ft3}}<ref name=sx20160920/><br/><small>(unpressurized)</small>
|-
! Diameter
| colspan=3 | {{cvt|9|m}}<ref name="68IAC-trans" />
|-
! Length
| {{cvt|118|m}}<ref name=sx20160920/>
| {{cvt|{{#expr:118-55}}|m}}<ref name=sx20160920/>{{Update inline|reason=Calculated, 55m is including fins, length of the body of the ship and possible interstage not known.|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
| {{cvt|55|m}}<ref name=sx20160920/>
|-
! Maximum mass
| {{cvt|4,400,000|kg|lb}}<ref name="68IAC-trans" />{{Update inline|reason=Does this still hold after the update in design?|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
|
| {{cvt|{{#expr:85000+150000+1100000}}|kg|lb}}<br/>{{Update inline|reason=Does this still hold after the update in design?|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
|-
! rowspan=2 | Propellant capacity
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 |
| [[Liquid methane|{{chem2|CH4}}]] – {{cvt|240,000|kg|lb}}{{Update inline|reason=Does this still hold after the update in design?|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
|-
| [[Liquid oxygen|{{chem2|O2}}]] – {{cvt|860,000|kg|lb}}{{Update inline|reason=Does this still hold after the update in design?|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
|-
! Empty mass
|
|
| {{cvt|85,000|kg|lb}}<ref name="68IAC-trans" />{{Update inline|reason=Does this still hold after the update in design?|?=yes|date=September 2018}}
|-
! Engines
|
| 31 × [[Raptor (rocket engine family)#Raptor 2017|Sea level Raptor]]s
| 7 × Sea level Raptors
|-
! Thrust
|
| {{cvt|52.7|MN|lbf}}
| {{cvt|{{#expr:7*1.7}}|MN|lbf}} total
|}
The Raptor engine design [[Rocket engine#Combustion chamber|chamber pressure]] is {{convert|25|MPa|bar psi|lk=on|abbr=on}}, although SpaceX plans to increase that to {{convert|30|MPa|bar psi|lk=on|abbr=on}} in later iterations of the engine. The engine will be designed with an extreme focus on reliability for any single engine<ref name=sn20171015b/> and "seven engines means it's definitely capable of [mitigating] engine out at any time, including two engine out, in almost all circumstances. So you could lose two engines and still be totally safe. In fact, [in] some cases you can lose up to four engines and still be totally fine. So it only needs three engines for landing; three out of seven."<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu7WJD8vpAQ&t=1h37m9s</ref> In this way, the ship is being designed to achieve "landing reliability that is on par with the safest commercial airliners."<ref name=musk201803journal/>
=== Starship test flight rocket ===
The construction of the "Starship test flight rocket"<ref name=mw20190110/> was begun in early December 2018 and the external frame and skin was complete by 10 January 2019. Constructed outside in the open on a SpaceX property just two miles from [[Boca Chica Beach]] on the [[Gulf of Mexico]] in [[South Texas]], the rocket rapidly came together in less than six weeks. Originally thought by watchers of construction at the [[SpaceX South Texas Launch Site]] to be the initial construction of a large water tower, the stainless steel vehicle was built by [[welder]]s and construction workers in more of a [[shipyard]] form of construction than traditional [[aerospace manufacturing]]. The vehicle is {{convert|9|m|sp=us}} in diameter and {{convert|39|m|sp=us}} tall.<ref name=ars20190108>
{{cite news |last=Berger|first=Eric |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/elon-musk-is-really-really-excited-about-his-starship/ |title=Here’s why Elon Musk is tweeting constantly about a stainless-steel starship |work=ars Technica |date=8 January 2019 |accessdate=12 January 2019 }}</ref><ref name=trati20181224/>
The test article will be used to [[flight test]] a number of subsystems of the ''Starship'' and will be used to expand the [[flight envelope]] as this radically unusual reusable ''Starship'' second stage and spaceship continues in design, build and test for the next several years.<ref name=ars20190108/><ref name=sn20171015c/> <ref name=sn20180312/>
Testing will commence at the [[SpaceX South Texas Launch Site]] near [[Boca Chica, Texas]],<ref name="SpaceX20180917"/> with the [[maiden flight|initial]] test flight of the low-velocity prototype anticipated by February or March,<ref>{{cite tweet |user=elonmusk |number=1081575156990894082 |date=5 January 2019 |title=Aiming for 4 weeks [until the first hopper test], which probably means 8 weeks, due to unforeseen issues }}</ref> approximately a year ahead of schedule.<ref name=bi20190111/>
All test flights of the "test hopper"<ref name=ars20190108/> will be low altitude, under {{convert|5|km|ft|sp=us}},<ref name=sn20181224/>
In addition, a Starship orbital prototype, also referred to as the "Starship Mk I orbital design," is under construction in [[San Pedro, California]].<ref name=musk20181222>[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1076611280700530688 Starship Mk I orbital design], SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Twitter, 22 December 2018, accessed 12 January 2019.</ref> Planned for high-altitude and high-velocity testing, it is expected to be completed by mid-2019.<ref name=musk20190110>[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1083575233423003648 Orbital prototype], SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Twitter, 10 January 2019, accessed 12 January 2019.</ref>
The orbital prototype will be taller than the suborbital hopper, have thicker skins, and a smoothly curving nose section.<ref name=bi20190111>
{{cite news |last=Kanter|first=Jake |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-released-a-photo-spacexs-test-hopper-rocket-2019-1 |title=Elon Musk released a photo of his latest rocket, and it already delivers on his promise of looking like liquid silver |work=[[Business Insider]] |date=11 January 2019 |accessdate=13 January 2019 }}</ref>
==Applications==
The Big Falcon Rocket launch vehicle is designed to replace all existing SpaceX vehicles and spacecraft: Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, and also the Dragon capsule. SpaceX estimates that BFR launches will be cheaper than the existing fleet, and even cheaper than the retired [[Falcon 1]], due to full reusability and precision landing of the booster on its [[launch mount]] for simplified launch logistics. SpaceX intends to fully replace its vehicle fleet with BFRs during the early 2020s.<ref name=nsf20170929>{{cite news | author=Chris Gebhardt | url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/09/the-moon-mars-earth-musk-updates-bfr-plans/ | title=The Moon, Mars, & around the Earth – Musk updates BFR architecture, plans | website=[[NASASpaceflight.com]] | date=29 September 2017 | accessdate=2 October 2017 | quote=In a move that would have seemed crazy a few years ago, Mr. Musk stated that the goal of BFR is to make the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy rockets and their crew/uncrewed Dragon spacecrafts redundant, thereby allowing the company to shift all resources and funding allocations from those vehicles to BFR. Making the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon redundant would also allow BFR to perform the same Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Beyond LEO satellite deployment missions as Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy – just on a more economical scale as multiple satellites would be able to launch at the same time and on the same rocket thanks to BFR's immense size.}}</ref><ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name=musk20170929/>{{rp|24:50–27:05}}
BFR is planned to execute five diverse flight [[use case]]s:<ref name=nsf20170929/><ref name=nsf20180809>
{{cite news |last=Gaynor|first=Phillip |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/08/evolution-big-falcon-rocket/ |title=The Evolution of the Big Falcon Rocket |work=[[NASASpaceFlight.com]] |date=9 August 2018 |accessdate=17 August 2018 |quote= }}</ref>
* legacy Earth-orbit [[Space launch market competition|satellite delivery market]]
* [[Beyond Earth orbit|long-duration spaceflight]]s in the [[cislunar]] region
* [[Exploration of Mars|Mars transportation]], both as cargo ships as well as [[human spaceflight|passenger-carrying transport]]
* long-duration flights to the [[outer planets]], for cargo and astronauts<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=elonmusk |author-link=Elon Musk |number=995462943079723008 |date=12 May 2018 |title=SpaceX will prob build 30 to 40 rocket cores for ~300 missions over 5 years. Then BFR takes over & Falcon retires. Goal of BFR is to enable anyone to move to moon, Mars & eventually outer planets.}}</ref>
* commercial passenger travel on Earth, competing with long-range aircraft<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Elon Musk |date=28 September 2017 |title=BFR Earth to Earth |medium=video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqE-ultsWt0 |time=1:45 |publisher=SpaceX |via=YouTube |accessdate=23 December 2017}}</ref> . Although both CEO Musk and [[Chief operating officer|COO]] Shotwell have mentioned the theoretical ability of BFR to carry passengers on [[suborbital spaceflight|suborbital flights]] between any two points on Earth in under one hour, they have not announced any concrete plans to pursue this use case.<ref name=musk20170929/><ref name=sn20171015c/><ref name=rollingstone20171115>{{cite news |author=Neil Strauss |title=Elon Musk: The Architect of Tomorrow |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/elon-musk-inventors-plans-for-outer-space-cars-finding-love-w511747 |accessdate=17 February 2018 |work=Rolling Stone |date=15 November 2017}}</ref>
===Lunar flyby tour===
{{main|DearMoon Project}}
[[File:BFR passing the Moon.jpg|alt=Artistic rendition of the BFS firing all 7 of its engines while passing by the Moon|thumb|Artistic rendition of the BFS firing all 7 of its engines while passing by the Moon]]
In September 2018, SpaceX announced that it signed a contract to fly a group of private passengers around the Moon aboard the BFS.<ref name=teslarati_moonflight /> This lunar flyby will be crewed by [[Yusaku Maezawa]],<ref name="Sep 2018 presentation">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu7WJD8vpAQ First Private Passenger on Lunar BFR Mission]. Press conference streamed live at YouTube by SpaceX. 17 September 2018.</ref> who will invite 6 to 8 artists to travel with him around the Moon in 2023.<ref name="DearMoon">[https://dearmoon.earth/ "Dear Moon"]. Accessed: 17 September 2018.</ref> The expected travel time would be about 6 days.<ref name="Sep 2018 presentation"/><ref name="DearMoon"/>
===Transport to Mars and Mars surface ship use===
{{main|SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure}}
SpaceX plans to eventually build a crewed base on Mars for an extended surface presence, which they hope will grow one day into a self-sufficient [[Colonization of Mars|colony]].<ref name="Eric Ralf">[https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-first-mars-bound-bfr-spaceships-martian-habitats/ "SpaceX wants to use the first Mars-bound BFR spaceships as Martian habitats"]. Eric Ralph, ''TeslaRati''. 27 August 2018.</ref><ref name="Rayne 2018">[https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/mars-2024-elon-musk "We're going to Mars by 2024 if Elon Musk has anything to say about it"]. Elizabeth Rayne, ''SyFy Wire''. 15 August 2018.</ref><ref name=ars20160928>{{cite news |last=Berger|first=Eric |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/musks-mars-moment-audacity-madness-brilliance-or-maybe-all-three/ |title=Musk’s Mars moment: Audacity, madness, brilliance—or maybe all three |work=[[Ars Technica]] |date=2016-09-28 |accessdate=2016-10-13 }}</ref><ref name=sn20161010>{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=http://www.spacenewsmag.com/feature/can-elon-musk-get-to-mars/ |title=Can Elon Musk get to Mars? |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=2016-10-10 |accessdate=2016-10-12 }}</ref><ref name=gw-20160927>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-colonize-mars/ |title=SpaceX’s Elon Musk makes the big pitch for his decades-long plan to colonize Mars |work=[[GeekWire]] |date=September 27, 2016 |access-date=October 3, 2016}}</ref>
Any Mars expeditions would refuel ''Starships'' in low Earth orbit before [[Trans-Mars injection|departing for Mars]]. Early ships would be left on Mars to house equipment, store propellant, or provide spare parts. Eventually, once humans travel to Mars, at least one of the reusable Starships from earlier flights would be capable of being refueled to provide a redundant spare spacecraft for a return journey to Earth.<ref name="Crunch 2017">[https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/28/everything-spacex-revealed-about-its-updated-plan-to-reach-mars-by-2022/ "Everything SpaceX revealed about its updated plan to reach Mars by 2022"]. Darrell Etherington, ''TechCrunch''. 29 September 2017, accessed 14 September 2018.</ref><ref name="Eric Ralf"/><ref name="Wooster 2018"/><ref name="Rayne 2018"/> <ref name="Wooster 2018">{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Cz6vF4ONE |author=Paul Wooster |title=SpaceX's Plans for Mars |work= 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention |agency= |publisher=Mars Society |date=29 August 2018 |accessdate=2 September 2018}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Long March (rocket family)#Long March 9|Long March 9]]
* [[New Glenn]]
* [[Space Launch System]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=NB|30em}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="musk20170929">{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdUX3ypDVwI | people=Elon Musk | title=Becoming a Multiplanet Species |date=29 September 2017 |medium=video | ___location=68th annual meeting of the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia | publisher=SpaceX | via=YouTube | accessdate=14 December 2017}}</ref>
<ref name=Dent20170929>{{cite web | title=Elon Musk's Mars dream hinges on a giant new rocket | author=Steve Dent | date=29 September 2017 | url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/29/space-x-mars-bfr-elon-musk/ |website=Engadget | accessdate=9 December 2017}}</ref>
<ref name=sn20171015b>{{cite news | author=Jeff Foust | url=http://spacenews.com/musk-offers-more-technical-details-on-bfr-system/ | title=Musk offers more technical details on BFR system |work=[[SpaceNews]] | date=15 October 2017 | accessdate=15 October 2017 | quote=[Musk wrote,] "The flight engine design is much lighter and tighter, and is extremely focused on reliability."}}</ref>
<ref name=sn20171015c>{{cite news | author=Jeff Foust | url=http://spacenews.com/musk-offers-more-technical-details-on-bfr-system/ |title=Musk offers more technical details on BFR system |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=15 October 2017 | accessdate=15 October 2017 | quote=[The] spaceship portion of the BFR, which would transport people on point-to-point suborbital flights or on missions to the moon or Mars, will be tested on Earth first in a series of short hops. ... a full-scale Ship doing short hops of a few hundred kilometers altitude and lateral distance ... fairly easy on the vehicle, as no heat shield is needed, we can have a large amount of reserve propellant and don’t need the high area ratio, deep space Raptor engines.}}</ref>
<ref name="SpaceX20180917">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu7WJD8vpAQ |title=First Private Passenger on Lunar BFR Mission |last=Musk |first=Elon |author-link=Elon Musk |publisher=[[SpaceX]] |via=[[Youtube]] |date=September 17, 2018 |access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
* [https://www.spacex.com/mars Official website]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/making_life_multiplanetary-2017.pdf |title=Becoming A Multiplanet Species |publisher=SpaceX |date=15 October 2017}} 39-page slide deck of graphics, charts and images.
{{SpaceX}}
{{US launch systems}}
{{Crewed spacecraft}}
{{Orbital launch systems}}
{{Reusable launch systems}}
{{Future spaceflights}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2017}}
[[Category:Proposed reusable space launch systems]]
[[Category:VTVL rockets]]
[[Category:SpaceX]]
[[Category:Crewed spacecraft]]
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