SpaceX changes BFR design and renames it to Starship

Posted on Tuesday, November 20 2018 @ 11:18 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Via his Twitter account, SpaceX boss Elon Musk announces the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) has a new design that is "delightfully counter-intuitive".

BFR has been renamed to Starship. Musk elaborates that Starship technically consists of two parts. You have the Starship spaceship/upper stage and Super Heavy as a rocket booster. The Super Heavy booster is only required to escape Earth's deep gravity well, it's not needed for other planets or moons.



The first test flight of Starship is expected in 2020 at the earliest.

On a related note, Musk also mentioned that SpaceX is no longer planning to upgrade the second-stage of the Falcon 9 for reuseability. Instead, the space launch firm is accelerating the Starship. These two rockets will be the workhorses of SpaceX. Falcon Heavy is expected to see limited use, as most of the launch volume that was originally intended for that rocket can be handled by the cheaper Falcon 9 Block 5 booster.


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Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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