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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/>
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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>
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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">
{{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/>
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=== 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> On 15 January 2019, SpaceX technicians separated the nose and tail sections of the Starship hopper so fuel and oxidizer tank bulkheads could start being installed on 21 January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-prototype-nose-raptor-removal-tank-install/|title=SpaceX separates Starship prototype's nose and tail to install giant propellant tanks|last=Ralph|first=Eric|date=2019-01-17|website=TESLARATI.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-hopper-tank-bulkhead-installation-launch-landing-pad-progress/|title=SpaceX fits Starship prototype with tank bulkheads as hop test pad progresses|last=Ralph|first=Eric|date=2019-01-22|website=TESLARATI.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-22}}</ref>
==Nomenclature==
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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
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>
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== 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 -->
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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
=== 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 using grid fins and small thrusters.<ref name=nsf20180809/><ref name=musk201803journal/><ref name="sn20171015b"/><ref name=68IAC-trans/>
=== Second stage and spaceship: ''Starship'' ===
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! [[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>|| ||
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! Return payload
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=== 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/>
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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]]
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* [[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===
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{{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>
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