This is a fully reusable, two-stage super heavy-lift launch vehicle designed to transport both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Two stages:

The system consists of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft, also known as the upper stage.

Propulsion:

Both stages are powered by reusable Raptor engines that burn sub-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen.

Capabilities:

Once fully developed, it is intended to have a payload capacity of up to 150 metric tonnes in a reusable configuration.

SpaceX also aims to use Starship for high-speed point-to-point travel on Earth.

Development status:

As of September 2025, Starship is still in development, but it has undergone a series of test flights.

The most recent flight, Flight 10 in late August 2025, achieved significant milestones, including the successful recovery of the Super Heavy booster by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms.

Planned missions:

Artemis program: A variant called the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) is under contract with NASA to deliver astronauts to the Moon.

Mars missions:

SpaceX has long-term ambitions to use Starship to transport humans and cargo to Mars to help establish a permanent settlement.