List of Starship vehicles
Since April 2023, Starship has been launched times, with successes and failures. The vehicle Starship when combined with the Super Heavy booster, also named Starship, has been developed with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale. SpaceX aims to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline and adapting it to a wide range of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars.
There are three versions of Starship: Block 1, Block 2, and Block 3, the proposed variants include a depot, Starship HLS, and Starship Crew. Block 2 Starships are designed to be compatible with Block 1 and with future Block 2 boosters. As of September 2025, Block 1 vehicles have been retired, and four Block 2 vehicles have flown so far. The Starship spacecraft is intended to be reusable, and to be recovered via large arms on the tower capable of catching the descending vehicle.
Development
''Starhopper''
Construction on the initial steel test article—Starship Hopper, Hopper, Hoppy, or Starhopper—began at Boca Chica, Texas in 2018. Starhopper had a single engine and was test flown to develop landing and low-altitude/low-velocity control algorithms.Starhopper used liquid oxygen and liquid methane fuel. After it completed its testing campaign Starhopper was repurposed as a water tank, weather station and equipment mount for cameras, lights, loudspeakers and a radar system.
Testing
It passed tanking tests, wet dress rehearsals, and pre-burner tests. A storm blew over and damaged Starhopper's nose cone. SpaceX continued testing without one.It then passed a static fire test, and in a tethered test reached 1 meter altitude. On July 25, 2019, a Starhopper test flight reached about altitude, followed by an August 27 test that rose to and landed about from the launchpad, the Raptor engine's first use in flight.
On September 3, 2024, Starhopper was moved to a parking lot nearby the launch site.
Mark series (Mk1–Mk4)
SpaceX began building the high-altitude prototype, Mk1 in Texas and Mk2 in Florida, using competing teams that shared progress, insights, and build techniques. The vehicle featured three Raptor methalox engines and was meant to reach an altitude of.Mk1 was in diameter and about tall, with an empty mass of. It was intended for testing flight and reentry profiles, in pursuit of a suborbital flight. When announced, it had three sea-level Raptor engines, two fins each at the front and back, and a nose cone containing cold-gas reaction control thrusters, with all but the aft fins being removed afterwards.
On November 20, 2019, Mk1 blew apart during a pressure test.
SpaceX began Mk2 in Florida, sharing progress, insights, and build techniques with the Mk1 team in Texas. It was never completed.
The Mk3 prototype began construction in late 2019. In December 2019, Elon Musk redesignated Mk3 as Starship SN1, and predicted that minor design improvements would continue through SN20. SpaceX began stacking SN1 in February 2020 after successful pressurization tests on propellant tank prototypes. SN1 was destroyed during a cryogenic pressurization test on February 28, 2020, due to a design flaw in the lower tank thrust structure.
Mk4 began construction in Florida in October 2019, but was scrapped after a few weeks.
Hops (SN3–SN6)
SN3 and SN4
SN3 was destroyed during testing on April 3, 2020 due to a failure in the testing configuration.SN4 passed cryogenic pressure testing on April 26 and two static fires on May 5 and May 7: one tested the main tanks, while the other tested the fuel header tank. After uninstalling the engine, a new cryogenic pressure test was conducted on May 19. A leak in the methane fuel piping ignited, causing significant damage to the rocket's base, destroying the control wiring. SN4 was destroyed on May 29, due to a failure with the Ground Support Equipment's quick-disconnect function.
SN5 and SN6
After a static fire test on July 30, SN5 completed a 150-meter flight with engine SN27. SN5 was scrapped in February 2021.SN6 completed a static fire on August 24, and a 150-meter hop test flight with engine SN29 on September 3. In January 2021, SN6 was scrapped.
High-altitude test flights (SN8–S23)
SN8 and SN9
SN8 was planned to be built out of 304L stainless steel, although some parts may have used 301L steel. In late October and November, SN8 underwent four static fires. During the third test, on November 12, 2020, debris from the pad caused the vehicle to lose pneumatics. Launch took place on December 9. Launch, ascent, reorientation, and controlled descent were successful, but low pressure in the methane header tank kept the engines from producing enough thrust for the landing burn, destroying SN8 on impact.On December 11, 2020, the stand beneath SN9 failed, causing the vehicle to tip and contact the walls inside the High Bay assembly building. SN9 then required a replacement forward flap. SN9 conducted 6 static fires in January 2021, including three static fires in one day. After these tests, two engines had to be replaced. After struggling to gain U.S. Federal Aviation Administration permission, SN9 conducted a flight test on February 2. Ascent, engine cutoffs, reorientation and controlled descent were stable, but one engine's oxygen pre-burner failed, sending SN9 crashing into the landing pad. The landing pad was then reinforced with an additional layer of concrete. After the SN9 failure, all three engines were used to perform the belly flop landing sequence. This offered a failsafe should one fail to ignite.
SN10–SN14
SN10 underwent a cryogenic proof test on February 8, 2021, followed by a static fire on February 23. After an engine swap, another static fire was conducted on February 25.Two launch attempts were conducted on March 3. The first attempt was automatically aborted after one engine produced too much thrust while throttling up. After a 3-hour delay to increase the tolerance, the second attempt launched and landed successfully. The test ended with a hard landing-at 10 m/s – most likely due to partial helium ingestion from the fuel header tank. Three landing legs were not locked in place, producing a slight lean after landing. Although the vehicle initially remained intact, the impact crushed the legs and part of the leg skirt. Eight minutes later the prototype exploded.
SN11 accomplished a cryogenic proof test on March 12 that included a test of the Reaction control system, followed by a static fire test on March 15, 2021. Immediately after ignition, the test was aborted. Another static fire attempt led to reports that one of the three engines had been removed for repairs. A replacement engine was installed and a third static fire was attempted on March 26. A 10 km flight test was conducted in heavy fog on March 30. The test included engine cutoffs, flip maneuver, flap control and descent, along with a visible fire on engine 2 during the ascent. Just after the defective engine was re-ignited for the landing burn, SN11 lost telemetry at T+ 5:49 and disintegrated.
SN12 through SN14 never launched.
SN15–SN19
SN15 introduced improved avionics software, an updated aft skirt propellant architecture, and a new Raptor design and configuration. A Starlink antenna on the side of the vehicle was another new feature. SN15 underwent an ambient temperature pressure test on April 9, 2021, followed by a cryogenic proof test on April 12, and a header tank cryogenic proof test on April 13. A static fire was conducted on April 26, and a header tank static fire on April 27 followed. A high-altitude flight test was conducted in overcast weather on May 5, achieving a soft touchdown. A small fire near the base started shortly after landing, though this was extinguished. After its engines were removed, it was moved to the Rocket Garden on May 31, 2021. On July 26, 2023, SN15 was scrapped.SN16 was scrapped, while SN17, SN18, and SN19 were never completed.
SN20/Ship 20–Ship 23
SN20 was the first vehicle with a complete thermal protection system. SN20 rolled out to the launch mount on August 5, 2021, and was stacked onto Booster 4 for a fit test. U.S. Federal Communications Commission filings in May 2021 by SpaceX stated that the orbital flight would launch from Boca Chica, Texas. After separation, Starship would enter orbit and around 90 minutes later attempt a soft ocean landing around 100 km off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. However, S20 was retired in March 2022. As of April 2024, SN20 remains in the Rocket Garden.Ship 21 was scrapped before being completed.
Ship 22 moved to the Rocket Garden in late February 2022. Its nosecone was converted into a Human Landing System interior mockup. 3d Artist TheSpaceEngineer has claimed that this mockup features two decks, the first containing the life support systems, and the second serving as habitation for the crew.
Ship 23 was scrapped and partially recycled in Ship 24.
Block 1 launches (S24–S32)
Ships 24 and 25
Ship 24 was first spotted in November 2021, and conducted cryogenic proof tests on June 2, 2022, June 6, and June 7. On June 9, Ship 24 was rolled back to the production site for engine installation, and was rolled to Suborbital Pad B on July 5. Ship 24 conducted a series of spin prime tests in mid-late July. It completed a two engine static fire test on August 9, followed by an additional spin prime test on August 25. On September 8, 2022, Ship 24 underwent a six engine static fire test. The ship was subsequently stacked on top of Booster 7 in mid-October, followed by two destacks in October and early November. On December 15, Ship 24 conducted a single engine static test fire. In January 2023, Booster 7 and Ship 24 conducted a Wet Dress Rehearsal. On April 20, 2023, Ship 24 was destroyed in flight along with Booster 7 after spinning out of control.Ship 25 was a Starship prototype similar to Ship 24, equipped with a heat shield and a payload bay, though this was permanently welded shut. It was used to test the cryogenic test stand at Massey's test site. During the third week of May 2023, Ship 25 was moved to the launch site and lifted onto suborbital pad B for engine testing. On June 21, 2023, Ship 25 performed a successful spin prime test, followed by a six engine static fire test. It was lifted onto B9 for the first time on September 5, and was destacked several times throughout the rest of the month and mid October. On October 22, B9 underwent two partial cryogenic tests, while S25 was not tested, followed by a full wet dress rehearsal two days later. On November 18, 2023, Ship 25 was launched atop Booster 9 on the second Integrated Flight Test, with Ship 25 successfully separating from Booster 9. Near the end of its burn, a LOX dump started a fire in the engine bay, causing an explosion. The autonomous flight termination system activated, destroying the vehicle.