SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket will be called 'Starship,' says Musk
Starting today, SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket, aka BFR, will be called 'Starship'. The new name of the humongous rocket was announced by Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of the spacefaring company. To recall, this is the same rocket that SpaceX plans to use for its Mars colonization mission and point-to-point travel between countries. Here's more on the change.
'Starship' and 'Super Heavy' to ferry people
On Tuesday, Elon Musk revealed BFR's new name, while noting that the spaceship/upper stage of the rocket, where passengers will sit, will be dubbed Starship. Meanwhile, the booster end of the vehicle, which will help it escape Earth's gravity, will be called Super Heavy. So, technically, SpaceX will use a combo of Starship and Super Heavy to ferry people to the Red Planet.
Here's what Musk tweeted
A bit about BFR, sorry Starship!
When ready, SpaceX's massive usable rocket will stand 348-feet high, with the payload module being 157-foot-long, while booster making the rest of it. It will use 31 methane-powered Raptor engines to produce a thrust of 11 million pounds at lift-off. The Starship end of the vehicle, aka payload module, will have common areas and 40 crew cabins, each capable of accommodating 2-3 individuals.
When this rocket will fly?
There's no fixed date (all depends on the vehicle's development), but SpaceX has already confirmed a couple of missions. First, it is the Mars trip. In 2022, two unmanned versions of the rocket will take cargo to the Red Planet, followed by manned missions in 2024. And then, it is a tourist trip around the moon, which is slated to happen sometime around 2023.
Details of the Lunar passenger trip
In September, SpaceX confirmed Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will use Starship to fly around the moon. The mission could make Maezawa the first man to fly to the Moon and back since 1972.
