Engineering:Super Heavy (rocket stage)

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Short description: A methalox rocket stage
Super Heavy
ManufacturerSpaceX
Country of originUnited States
Used onSpaceX Starship
General characteristics
Height70 m (230 ft)[1]
Diameter9 m (30 ft)[1]
Gross massover 3,500 t (7,700,000 lb)[1]
Propellant mass3,400 t (7,500,000 lb)[1]
Associated stages
FamilyStarship
Derived from
  • MCT Stage 1 (canceled)
  • ITS Stage 1 (canceled)
  • BFR (canceled)
ComparableS-IC
Launch history
StatusIn development
Total launches0
Super Heavy
Engines29–32 (29 on initial flights; 32 later in 2021) Raptors[2]
FuelCH4/LOX

Super Heavy is a methalox rocket stage intended to serve as the first stage of SpaceX's fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle, Starship.[1] It is 70 m (230 ft) tall and powered by 29 Raptor engines on initial flight(s) and 32 on later flights.[1][2][3] (As of May 2021), the first launch of Super Heavy and the first orbital flight of the Starship system as a whole is planned for later in 2021, no earlier than October.[2][4]

Development

Super Heavy began its development as a first stage for the Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT), a new concept designed to replace the cancelled Falcon X, Falcon X Heavy, and Falcon XX rockets. The MCT first stage work was later replaced by development for the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) and Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) rockets' first stages.[5]

After the cancellation of the ITS and BFR programs in favor of the Starship program, SpaceX began work on the Super Heavy booster stage. Manufacturing of Booster Number 1 (BN1) (now renamed Booster 1) began in autumn 2020 with stacking of the first prototype completed in March 2021 in the high bay vertical assembly building at the company's South Texas launch site.[6][7] At that time, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that BN1 was a "production pathfinder," a prototype or test unit not intended for flight-testing but used to determine how best to produce future vehicles.[8]

Instead, BN1 was scrapped in favor of moving forward with BN2 with the goal of having BN2 on the Orbital Launch Pad before the end of April 2021.[9][10][11] A second unit, designated B2.1,[12]was scheduled to fly in June 2021;[citation needed] however, according to NASASpaceflight, both BN2 and B2.1 were reclassed as test sections in May 2021.[13][14] In early June 2021, B2.1 was moved to a launch pad to undergo stress testing using hydraulic rams.[15]

The third Super Heavy booster iteration, BN3 (now Booster 3), was expected to launch Starship SN20 in the Starship orbital test flight.[4][16][11] It will now be using Booster 4 (formerly BN4), which started construction in July 2021.[11][17] It was moved to High Bay on 3 July.[18] Booster 3 rolled out to Suborbital Pad A on July 1.[19] Although Super Heavy is designed to be reusable, SpaceX plans to have Booster 4 splash down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of fully testing its landing system.[20][21] The company plans to fly additional orbital flight tests pairing Super Heavy Booster 5 with Starship SN21, Booster 6 with SN22, and Booster 7 with SN23.[13]

List of Super Heavy Boosters

List of Super Heavy Boosters
Booster Number Date of First Flight First Mission Date of Last Flight Last Mission First Starship to fly on this Super Heavy Last Starship to fly on this Super Heavy Status Landing Ref(s)
1 Never Flown Scrapped N/A [22][23][9][11]
2 On Display [9][23][13][24][11]
3 On Suborbital Pad A [4][20][25][11][19]
4 Planned for Aug–Dec 2021 Starship Orbital Test Flight Planned for Aug–Dec 2021 Starship Orbital Test Flight S20[26] To be Expended (Splashdown) [27][11][17][18][28]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "SpaceX Starship page" (in en). SpaceX. http://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bergin, Chris (2021-05-30). "Laying the groundwork for Super Heavy amid Raptor Ramp Up". https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/groundwork-super-heavy-raptor-ramp-up/. 
  3. ↑ "Starship Users Guide". SpaceX. March 2020. https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Baylor, Michael. "Starship-Super Heavy (Prototype) | Orbital Test Flight" (in en). http://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6754. 
  5. ↑ Gaynor, Phillip (2020-10-24). "SpaceX Starship: The Continued Evolution of the Big Falcon Rocket" (in en-US). https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/10/the-continued-evolution-of-the-big-falcon-rocket/. 
  6. ↑ "Starship SN9's time to shine - test series targets a New Year's resolution" (in en-US). 2020-12-28. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/12/starship-sn9s-test-series-targets-new-years/. 
  7. ↑ d'Alessandro, Nicholas (2021-03-19). "Starship SN11 Takes a Breather Super Heavy BN1 Takes Shape". Spaceflight Insider. https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/starship-sn11-takes-a-breather-superheavy-bn1-takes-shape/. 
  8. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2021-03-29). "Starship SN11 lands in bits as SpaceX refine forward plan" (in en-US). https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/starship-sn11-returns-super-heavy-bn1-rollout-follow/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Bergin, Chris (2021-05-05). "Starship SN15 conducts smooth test flight and nails landing" (in en-US). https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/starship-sn15-tests-mcgregor-raptor-testing/. 
  10. ↑ Tangermann, Victor (2021-03-30). "After Latest Explosion, Elon Musk Vows to Test Another Starship Within Days". https://futurism.com/after-latest-explosion-elon-musk-vows-to-test-another-starship-within-days. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 (in en) NSF Live: Starship booster shuffle, SLS stacking continues, Hubble anomaly update, and more, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4d7N_bhPxU, retrieved 2021-06-28 
  12. ↑ "New Booster Dome Spotted - Starship SN16 Aft Section Lifted into Mid Bay". NASAspaceflight.com YouTube video. 21 April 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNnsm4ohetU. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Starship SN15 patiently awaits a decision - The Road to Orbit" (in en-US). 2021-05-16. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/starship-sn15-reflight-road-orbit/. 
  14. ↑ "Laying the groundwork for Super Heavy amid Raptor Ramp Up". 30 May 2021. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/groundwork-super-heavy-raptor-ramp-up/. ""BN2 and BN2.1 sections were classed as test sections and were never set to become more than test tanks"" 
  15. ↑ Ralph, Eric (2021-06-04). "SpaceX rolls first Starship booster hardware to launch pad". Teslarati (Los Angeles, California). https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-booster-test-tank-rollout/. 
  16. ↑ d'Alessandro, Nicholas (2021-05-18). "FCC filing offers 1st look at SpaceX's orbital Starship flight plan". https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/starship/fcc-filing-offers-1st-look-at-spacexs-orbital-starship-flight-plan/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 (in en) Super Heavy Booster 3 Prepared for Testing on Pad A | SpaceX Boca Chica, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTq31_zQu70, retrieved 2021-07-03 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "SpaceX Boca Chica - Production Updates - MASTER Thread (4)". https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2259488#msg2259488. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 (in en) First ever Super Heavy rollout as Booster 3 heads to launch site, lifted onto stand, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDnwL2EokhU, retrieved 2021-07-02 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Clark, Stephen (2021-05-13). "SpaceX outlines plans for Starship orbital test flight". Spaceflight Now. https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/13/spacex-outlines-plans-for-around-the-world-starship-test-flight/. 
  21. ↑ Roulette, Joey (2021-05-13). "From Texas to Hawaii: SpaceX plans first orbital Starship test". https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/13/22434825/elon-musk-spacex-first-orbital-starship-test-texas-hawaii. 
  22. ↑ Ralph, Eric (9 November 2020). "SpaceX begins assembling first Starship Super Heavy booster in South Texas". https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-first-super-heavy-booster-assembly/. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Bergin, Chris (2021-04-18). "Starship SN15 prepares for flight following major NASA vindication" (in en-US). https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/04/starship-sn15-flight-major-nasa-vindication/. 
  24. ↑ (in en) Super Heavy Booster 3 Rings Spotted - BN2.1 Test Tank Rolled Back | SpaceX Boca Chica, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_THbSpesLq0, retrieved 2021-06-28 
  25. ↑ (in en) Engine Section Mated to Super Heavy BN3 | SpaceX Boca Chica, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-qNy3-Vl3Y, retrieved 2021-06-29 
  26. ↑ "SpaceX continues forward progress with Starship on Starhopper anniversary - Page 2 of 2" (in en-US). 2021-08-28. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/08/starship-starhopper/. 
  27. ↑ (in en) Elon Musk says Super heavy bn3 is almost finished, BN4 is preparing to build, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFaKwabXmDc, retrieved 2021-06-29 
  28. ↑ "29 Raptor engines and 4 grid fins have been installed on Super Heavy ahead of first orbital flight" (in en). https://mobile.twitter.com/spacex/status/1422368427369402370. 




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