The Future of the Starship Program, Block 3 and Mars

Date:
Fri, 30 May 2025 18:48:14 +0000

Description:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a talk to employees inside the Starfactory, laying out the The post The Future of the Starship Program, Block 3 and Mars
appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a talk to employees inside the Starfactory, laying out the future of the Starship Program in terms of hardware and reuse. He
also revealed SpaceXs ambitious plan to colonize Mars over the next decade.



Next Generation Starship

Block 3 or Next Generation Ship appears to be slated to start with Ship 39. Currently, that Ship has pieces inside Starfactory under construction. According to the new renders and information given, Block 3 of the Ship will be the same height as Block 2. However, there will be differences.

For this Block 3 Ship, there will likely be permanent solutions for all the issues currently plaguing Block 2. Along with those, there will be a switch from Raptor 2 to Raptor 3, which will increase the Ships payload capacity by 40 tons, bringing it to approximately 100+ tons reusable. The 200-ton
reusable is likely to have nine engines, which will bring the entire stack to 42 engines. Aft of Block 3 Ship with Nine Engines (Credit: SpaceX)

Block 3 Ship will not have nine engines right away, but will stick with six, meaning three Raptor Vacuum (RVACs) and three Raptor Sea Level or Center (RC) engines. The extra three RVAC engines will be added to the Ship at a later date.

Other changes to the Ship will include a docking system for on-orbit refueling. According to the renders, it is a simple probe and drogue system that has been used numerous times in spaceflight and other applications. This system is currently used on Soyuz and was used on Apollo to dock the Command Module and Lunar Excursion Module.

The changes to accommodate propellant transfer also appear to include a second Quick Disconnect on the active Ship. This should be raised off the
tank wall to allow for space between the ships for docking and fuel transfer. On Orbit Propellant Transfer (Credit: SpaceX)

See Also SpaceX Starship Program L2 SpaceX Section NSF Store Click here to Join L2

In terms of the heat shield design, this is still a significant work in progress. Currently, the heat shield that would be used for Earth will also
be used on Mars. In a render for the Human Landing System for the Moon, it appears that SpaceX will feature a double-door payload door, similar to the Space Shuttles for Ship cargo versions.

Block 3, or Next Generation Booster, is getting a massive overhaul compared to what is currently flying. It is getting a little taller, but that height will be achieved in the new integrated hot stage forward dome.

This design harkens back to the N-1 and the R-7 family of rockets in terms of the truss design used to support the Ship. This will eliminate the need for a separate ring to be installed before launch, as well as the requirement to jettison and expend the hot-stage ring.

With this design change, the grid fins will no longer be located in the interstage, as with current boosters or Falcon 9, but rather in the Liquid Methane (LCH4) tank. Block 3 Super Heavy Booster (Credit: SpaceX)

These are likely in pods welded to the side of the tank wall to separate the motor from the LCH4 inside the tank. It is unclear whether this is just the forward dome or if there is a structure underneath the dome, as the section
on display appears to be incomplete.

Along with the grid fins moving down, there are now only three instead of four, and they are spaced in a T shape, with a fin on the port and starboard sides, and then one on the non-tower side or the heat shield side of the
ship. The grid fins have also been slightly changed in design to a different shape.

This layout change is so that all the grid fins are in the airflow during glide back and descent. This is SpaceX aiming to delete weight that is not needed. Aft of Block 3 Super Heavy Booster (Credit: SpaceX)

The Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Tank of the Booster has a different chine setup for better glide back lift, as these are spaced farther apart. The aft section of the booster is where things change. SpaceX has adopted the Falcon 9 approach and decided to use two booster quick disconnects, one for LOX and the other for LCH4, along with other commodities. This also helps eliminate Raptor
Quick Disconnects, which have been a challenge for SpaceX to refurbish on the current Launch Mount design.

This new Booster will use Raptor 3, and that involves many changes to the
aft as well. This requires a stronger aft due to the increased thrust, and with the heat shielding being removed, the aft of the booster will now have metallic tiles on the aft plate for heating protection. In addition to losing the shielding, this allows for an entirely redesigned clamp and hold-down system for the booster. This should allow SpaceX to have an easier time aligning the Booster inside the Launch Mount.

Lastly, the center engines are clocked differently than on current boosters. Currently, the center engines are 120 degrees apart and symmetrical. Block 3 will be 108, 108, and 140 degrees apart, resulting in an unsymmetrical
layout. With this layout, no single engine directly hits the top of the ridge cap for the flame diverter. Raptor 3 (Credit: SpaceX)

Raptor 3, which is the engine for the Next Generation of Starship, is making good progress in early testing. SpaceX has so far tested the engine around
300 times with a total of 16,000 seconds worth of engine firing time. This engine is designed to address many of the issues currently plaguing Starship and the Raptor 2 engines it utilizes throughout the program.

SpaceX is also working hard on getting its Raptor 3 Vacuum engine ready for Ships as well. This means no mix and match; once SpaceX moves to Block 3 of Starship, everything will be powered by Raptor 3.

With Raptor 3 comes many changes to the aft sections of the Ship and
Booster, as mentioned above. Both vehicles will lose a significant amount of shielding that was included on Raptor 2; instead, only the Thrust Vector Control actuators and the Gimbal Mounts appear to be shielded. Gigabay Texas (Credit: SpaceX)

The production facility for these vehicles is undergoing a significant upgrade with Gigabay coming to Starbase. SpaceX revealed the orientation of the Gigabay, which will have two large doors facing Highway 4 for vehicle transits. This bay and Starfactory, along with the Gigabay and Starfactory in Florida, are supposed to be able to make 1,000 ships a year.

In the future, the plan is to further stretch Starship, reaching a total length of 142 meters, which would increase its payload capacity to orbit.

Starship Mars Plan

The next generation, or Block 3, of Starship is going to pave the way for SpaceX to go to Mars, and during this presentation, Elon Musk laid out
SpaceXs plan to get there.

In the 2026 transfer window, SpaceX wants to send at least five ships with around 10 tons of payload capacity to Mars. These will be Ships that are likely partially refueled and are intended to prove it can reach Mars to gather data and learn what it will take to actually get to Mars using Starship. These early attempts are entirely based on whether teams can get on-orbit refueling to work right away. SpaceXs Mars Plan (Credit: SpaceX)

In the 2028-2029 transfer window, SpaceX intends to utilize the lessons learned from previous attempts and send equipment using at least 20 Ships
with a payload capacity of 75 tons. This involves preparing the landing
areas, dispatching equipment for personnel, and verifying the viability of
the landing area. SpaceX could have up to five launch pads, as well as two Gigabays and two full starfactories, in operation.

Then comes the 2030-2031 transfer window, where SpaceX intends to start sending humans to Mars. In this window, SpaceX wants 100 landers with 150
tons per ship to deliver, people, equipment for road and pad construction, habitat construction, and to increase the available power and storage
capacity of what would be a Mars colony at this point.

Finally, the 2033 transfer window is where SpaceXs goals get lofty. 500 ships, each carrying 300 tons, would be used to transport everything
necessary to make Mars a self-sustaining colony that would be somewhat independent from Earth. This includes utilizing Starlink for Global Mars communications, establishing a Global Mars network for travel and resource mining, allowing resources to be extracted directly from Mars rather than being transported from Earth. Starship entering Mars Atmosphere (Credit: SpaceX)

The likely landing zone for this colony is set to be Arcadia Planitia, which is an area of smooth plains that would be perfect for building structures and starting a colony.

These are very ambitious goals for SpaceX, as nothing like this has ever
been attempted in human history. Some of these goals will likely be pushed back by a transfer window or two. However, make no mistake, SpaceX is going
to try and pull this off; it will be very exciting to watch the future of the Starship program unfold.

Breakdown of all elements of the speech via X: So much to unpack here. Lots
of info.

Some highlights in order in the replies: https://t.co/D1b9HWMuJA

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) May 29, 2025







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