Starship

The most powerful rocket ever built

Scale Traced to true scale

124.4 m Starship V3

110.6 m Saturn V

98 m SLS Block 1

93 m Statue of Liberty

70 m Falcon 9

Taller than the Statue of Liberty: 124 m vs 93 m; The full stack stands about a third taller than Liberty Island, torch included.
2.8x the thrust of a Saturn V: 98 MN vs 35 MN; Starship V3 at full throttle is the most powerful rocket ever built.
As heavy as 33 blue whales: ~5,300 t fueled; A fully fuelled stack lifts off vertically with the mass of a small naval frigate.
Aiming for aircraft-like reuse: $10-100 per kg target; A target, not achieved. Falcon 9 today is around $2,700 per kg to low orbit.

Silhouettes traced from SpaceX, NASA and Wikimedia Commons reference imagery.

Power Liftoff thrust · meganewtons

Starship V3 target 98 MN

Soviet N1 45 MN

NASA SLS Block 1 39 MN

Saturn V 35 MN

Falcon Heavy 22.8 MN

Falcon 9 7.6 MN

Starship V3 at full throttle is the most powerful rocket ever built: roughly 2.8 times a Saturn V. V3 thrust is a SpaceX target, not yet flown.

Evolution Starship V1 to V3

Starship V1 Retired

First orbital-class design. Proved 33-engine booster, hot staging, first booster catch (Flight 5).

Starship V2 Retired

More ship propellant, redesigned forward flaps, improved heat shield. Retired after Flight 11.

Starship V3 Debuts on Flight 12

Raptor 3, taller ship, first version built to carry real payloads and support orbital refilling. Thrust and payload figures are targets.

Engine Raptor 1 to Raptor 3

Raptor 1

Thrust 185 tf

First flight engine. Complex external plumbing.

Raptor 2

Thrust 230 tf

Simplified, cheaper, more thrust. Powered V1 and V2.

Raptor 3

Thrust 280 tf

Integrated plumbing, no heat shield needed. Debuts on Flight 12.