Content deleted Content added
Countercheck (talk | contribs) copyedit of last fifth of article; removed a more info tag from 2020 since some additional info has been provided |
GreenC bot (talk | contribs) Move 1 url. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#social.techcrunch.com |
||
Line 291:
In September 2016, at the 67th [[International Astronautical Congress]], Musk announced the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS), a conceptual reusable rocket conceived to launch humans to Mars and other destinations in the [[Solar System]]. The ITS was to be {{cvt|122|m}} tall, {{cvt|12|m}} wide, and capable of lifting {{cvt|300|metric ton|lb}} to low Earth orbit.<ref name="nsf20160927a">{{cite news|last=Bergin|first=Chris|date=27 September 2016|title=SpaceX reveals ITS Mars game changer via colonization plan|publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/spacex-reveals-mars-game-changer-colonization-plan/|url-status=live|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928154300/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/spacex-reveals-mars-game-changer-colonization-plan/|archive-date=28 September 2016}}</ref> Both stages were to be made from [[Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers|carbon composites]]. The first stage or booster was to be powered by 42 Raptors, and the second stage by nine Raptors.<ref name="nsf20161003">{{cite news|last=Belluscio|first=Alejandro G.|date=3 October 2016|title=ITS Propulsion – The evolution of the SpaceX Raptor engine|publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/10/its-propulsion-evolution-raptor-engine/|url-status=live|access-date=3 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122165306/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/10/its-propulsion-evolution-raptor-engine/|archive-date=22 November 2018}}</ref> Once refueled while in Earth orbit, the spacecraft [[Delta-v|could accelerate]] to Mars.<ref name="sfi20160927">{{cite news|last=Richardson|first=Derek|date=27 September 2016|title=Elon Musk Shows Off Interplanetary Transport System|publisher=Spaceflight Insider|url=http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/elon-musk-shows-off-interplanetary-transport-system/|url-status=live|access-date=3 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001225649/http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/elon-musk-shows-off-interplanetary-transport-system/|archive-date=1 October 2016}}</ref> When an Interplanetary Spaceship enters the atmosphere, it cools itself via [[Transpiration cooling|transpiration]] and controls the spacecraft's descent by moving its [[delta wing]]s and [[Flap (aeronautics)#Split_flap|split flap]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mosher|first=Dave|date=16 February 2019|title=Elon Musk says SpaceX is developing a 'bleeding' heavy-metal rocket ship. Making it work may be 100 times as hard as NASA's most difficult Mars mission, one expert says.|publisher=Business Insider|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starship-bleeding-transpirational-atmospheric-reentry-system-challenges-2019-2|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712132123/https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starship-bleeding-transpirational-atmospheric-reentry-system-challenges-2019-2|archive-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> At the following Congress, Musk announced a replacement rocket called the Big Falcon Rocket or informally Big Fucking Rocket. The Big Falcon Rocket is {{cvt|106|m}} tall and {{cvt|9|m}} wide.<ref>{{cite news|last=Malik|first=Tariq|date=14 September 2018|title=SpaceX Has Apparently Tweaked Its Giant BFR Rocket Design. And It Looks Awesome!|publisher=Space.com|url=https://www.space.com/41825-spacex-giant-bfr-rocket-moon-flight-design-art.html|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825155706/https://www.space.com/41825-spacex-giant-bfr-rocket-moon-flight-design-art.html|archive-date=25 August 2021}}</ref> In that conference, he talked about a possible [[Sub-orbital spaceflight#Sub-orbital transportation|suborbital transportation]] feature and termed it Earth to Earth.<ref name="nsf202101192">{{cite news|last=Burghardt|first=Thomas|date=19 January 2021|title=SpaceX acquires former oil rigs to serve as floating Starship spaceports|publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/01/spacex-rigs-starship-spaceports/|url-status=live|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120001114/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/01/spacex-rigs-starship-spaceports/|archive-date=20 January 2021}}</ref>
In November 2018, the present names were first used: Super Heavy for the booster, Starship for the spacecraft, and Starship system or just Starship for the whole vehicle.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 November 2018|title=SpaceX's Elon Musk renames his big rocket 'Starship'|publisher=phys.org|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-11-spacex-elon-musk-renames-big.html|url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618101716/https://phys.org/news/2018-11-spacex-elon-musk-renames-big.html|archive-date=18 June 2021}}</ref> Around that time, Musk announced a redesigned spacecraft concept with three aft flaps and two forward flaps.<ref name="20180917theverge-17871724">{{cite news|last=Grush|first=Loren|date=17 September 2018|title=Elon Musk reveals updated design for future SpaceX Mars rocket|publisher=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17871724/spacex-big-falcon-rocket-bfr-mars-design-elon-musk|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412040645/https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17871724/spacex-big-falcon-rocket-bfr-mars-design-elon-musk|archive-date=12 April 2021}}</ref> In January 2019, Musk announced that Starship would be made from stainless steel and stated that this might be stronger than an equivalent carbon composite in a wide range of temperatures.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berger|first=Eric|date=8 January 2019|title=Here's why Elon Musk is tweeting constantly about a stainless-steel starship|publisher=Ars Technica|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/elon-musk-is-really-really-excited-about-his-starship/|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209005033/https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/elon-musk-is-really-really-excited-about-his-starship/|archive-date=9 December 2019}}</ref> In March, Musk tweeted that SpaceX opted for a heat shield composed of hexagonal ceramic tiles instead of transpiration.<ref name=":14">{{cite news|last=Malik|first=Tariq|date=22 March 2019|title=SpaceX's Hexagon Tiles for Starship Heat Shield Pass Fiery Test|publisher=Space.com|url=https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-hexagon-heat-shield-tile-test.html|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306144630/https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-hexagon-heat-shield-tile-test.html|archive-date=6 March 2021}}</ref> In October, the Starship spacecraft's engine configuration was changed to three Raptors optimized for atmospheric pressure and three optimized for space.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wall|first=Mike|date=20 October 2020|title=SpaceX fires up 3-engine Starship SN8 prototype ahead of epic test flight|publisher=Space.com|url=https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-sn8-prototype-static-fire|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227011643/https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-sn8-prototype-static-fire|archive-date=27 February 2021}}</ref> The number of rear fins was reduced from three to two and placed at the heat shield's edges.<ref name="20190930techcrunch-spacex">{{cite news|last=Etherington|first=Darrell|date=30 September 2019|title=SpaceX details Starship and Super Heavy in new website|publisher=TechCrunch|url=https://
=== Testing ===
| |||