Unveiling SpaceX’s new prototype for Starship

On September 28th, 2019,W Elon Musk, fondly known as the real-life Iron Man, unveiled SpaceX’s new prototype for Starship Mk1. The powerful rocket would massively reduce the cost and time taken for humans to orbit and colonize Mars.

Contrary to popular design, Starship is divided into two levels (rockets are usually divided into three levels). The first level booster has a total of 37 thrusters which provides a total of 7300 tons of power.

After deliberation, SpaceX ended up choosing the light and sturdy 301 stainless steel as its outer case. Under extreme temperatures, steel performs much better than carbon fiber and other materials. 301 stainless melts at 1500 Celsius, which is much higher than the melting point of aluminum alloy at 655 Celsius and carbon fiber at around 1200 Celsius. Due to the steel’s high resistance of extreme temperature, SpaceX would be able to cut down on the cooling system in exchange for a lighter rocket. Furthermore, it is relatively easy to weld the steel case to fix it in space. Besides its light weight, sturdiness, and malleable properties, the cost of steel is only 2% of carbon fiber. Using other materials would obtain none of the benefits listed.

Upon entering the atmosphere, instead of doing a 90 degrees fall, Starship will enter with a 60 degrees slant first. Then, it will readjust its position like a skydiver and then finally straighten up when it reaches the proximity of the ground. This allows Starship to carry a more massive load by cutting down on fuel.

SpaceX revealed that Starship Mk3 would start building in less than three months and reach orbit in less than six months. In his own words, Musk coins Starship as the “Holy Grail of space”.