Timeline of SpaceX’s Starship From the Past to the Future

Posted on by NSE

2012

Early Conceptualization

SpaceX founder Elon Musk first mentioned plans for a fully reusable rocket, initially known as the “Mars Colonial Transporter,” to enable human colonization of Mars. The project was in early conceptual stages and went through several iterations over the years.

September 2016

ITS Announcement

Elon Musk unveiled the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) at the International Astronautical Congress. The ITS, a precursor to Starship, was a two-stage rocket with a spaceship and a booster. The concept aimed to transport humans to Mars using a reusable spacecraft and booster.

July 2017

BFR Announcement

SpaceX updated the design of the ITS, renaming it the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR). The new concept featured a smaller spacecraft called BFS (Big Falcon Spaceship). Both vehicles are designed for full reusability, and the ability to transport cargo and passengers to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

May 2018

BFR Facility Announcement

SpaceX announced their intentions to build a facility at the Port of Los Angeles to manufacture the BFR (later renamed Starship).

September 2018

Starship and Super Heavy Reveal

Elon Musk revealed the latest design of the spacecraft, now named Starship, and its booster, called Super Heavy, at a press event in Hawthorne, California. He also announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would be the first private passenger on a lunar mission aboard Starship.

January 2019

First Test Vehicle

SpaceX completed the assembly of the Starship Hopper, a suborbital test vehicle used for initial tests of the Raptor engines and vertical takeoff and landing systems.

February 2019

Raptor Engine Test

SpaceX successfully conducted the first static fire test of the Raptor engine, a critical milestone in the development of Starship and Super Heavy.

April 2019

Starship Hopper Test Flights

The Starship Hopper conducted a tethered test fire, followed by a tethered test flight which reached a height of approximately 1 m. The purpose of the testing was to evaluate the performance of the Raptor engine and the vehicle’s vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.

July-August 2019

Starship Hopper Free Flights

The Starship Hopper completed two successful untethered test flights, reaching altitudes of 20 meters and 150 meters, respectively.

September 2019

Starship Mk1 Reveal

Elon Musk presented an update on Starship’s development and revealed the full-scale Starship Mk1 prototype at the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

2019-2020

Prototype Testing and Development

SpaceX conducted a series of tests on various Starship prototypes, including pressure tests, static fires, and short test flights, which contributed to the iterative development of the spacecraft.

March 2020

BFR Facility Cancellation

SpaceX canceled their lease with the Port of Los Angeles. Initial Starship production would be done in south Texas.

August 2020

SN5 and SN6 Test Flights

The Starship SN5 and SN6 prototypes successfully completed 150-meter test flights, demonstrating the spacecraft’s vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.

December 2020

SN8 High-Altitude Test Flight

The Starship SN8 prototype completed a high-altitude test flight, reaching an altitude of 12.5 km. While the vehicle exploded during the landing attempt, the test provided valuable data for the development of subsequent prototypes.

2021

Continued Testing and Development

SpaceX continued to develop and test Starship prototypes, with several high-altitude test flights, including SN9, SN10, SN11, and SN15. Each test provided essential data and insights, allowing SpaceX to refine the design, systems, and performance of the spacecraft.

May 2021

SN15 Successful High-Altitude Test Flight

The Starship SN15 prototype completed a successful high-altitude test flight, reaching an altitude of 10 km and landing safely. This marked a significant milestone in Starship’s development, showcasing the progress made in refining the spacecraft’s design and systems.

July 2021

Super Heavy Booster Test

SpaceX performed the first static fire test of the Super Heavy booster (Booster 3) at the Boca Chica facility, paving the way for future integrated Starship and Super Heavy tests.

August 2021

Super Heavy Booster 4 Orbital Test Stand

SpaceX rolled out the Super Heavy Booster 4 and placed it on the orbital launch mount at the Boca Chica facility, preparing for future integrated tests with the Starship spacecraft.

August 2021

Iconic Photograph

This iconic photo is reminiscent of the famous NYC steel workers photograph.

2022

Ongoing Development and Testing

SpaceX continued to develop and test the Starship and Super Heavy systems.

April 2023

First Orbital Test Flight Attempt

The Starship spacecraft was to fly nearly one orbit around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and performing a targeted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The Super Heavy booster was to have performed a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico’s about 20 mi (30 km) off the Texas coast about 8 minutes after liftoff. The rocket lifted off at at 08:33 CDT (13:33 UTC) from SpaceX’s private launch site, Boca Chica, south Texas, causing unexpected damage to its launch pad and surrounding infrastructure. Multiple engines failed during and after takeoff. The vehicle passed max q and entered supersonic flight, but the spacecraft failed to separate from the booster. Starship tumbled and the autonomous flight termination system was activated but did not immediately destroy the vehicle. Starship exploded 40 seconds later, nearly 4 minutes into the flight.

April 2023

Consequences

The launch mishap resulted in a lawsuit being filed against the FAA by environmental groups, and FAA launching a mishap investigation.

TBD 2023

Second Orbital Test Flight

Timing is dependent upon SpaceX completing their analysis of the flight and addressing issues relating to Starship, Super Heavy Booster and Raptor engines. SpaceX will also need to repair and upgrade the launch pad and associated facilities.

Timing will also be dependent upon the FAA completion of mishap investigation and SpaceX resolving any issues resulting from that investigation.

It is uncertain how, or if, the lawsuit against FAA will affect the timing of Starship second orbital test flight.

NET 2024

Superbird-9

Superbird-9 is a SKY Perfect JSAT’s HTS (High Throughput Satellites)

TBD

Space Tourism Flight

Last flight of planned Polaris Program and first crewed mission of Starship.

NET 2024

Space Tourism Flight

dearMoon project will fly 9 space tourists on a loop around the Moon.

NET 2024

Space Tourism Flight

Dennis and Akiko Tito are the first two crewmembers announced on Starship’s second commercial spaceflight around the Moon. Over the course of a week, Starship and the crew will travel to the Moon, fly within 200 km of the Moon’s surface, and complete a full journey around the Moon before safely returning to Earth. Ten other seats on Starship remain unsold and are available.

NLT 2025

HLS Demo

NASA demonstration mission for the Human Landing System prior to Artemis 3, was announced in April 2021. Includes refueling and landing vehicles.

NET 2025

Artemis 3

Human Landing System vehicle for Artemis program. Includes refueling and landing vehicles.

NET 2026

Astrolab FLEX rover mission

The Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover is flying as part of a SpaceX rideshare mission to the south pole of the moon.

NET 2027

Artemis 4

On November 15, 2022, NASA announced it had awarded a contract to SpaceX for a second crewed lunar landing demonstration mission.

NET 2029

Mars Mission