How big will the space cabin of SpaceX Starship be? Thanks to a new illustration, we have a slightly clearer idea.
A great comparison divided up Twitter Friday caught the attention of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The image, produced by industrial designer Georgia Tech Ken Kirtland IV, shows six rocket knives with a person inside to demonstrate their bare scale. The image shows a United Launch Alliance Vulcan fairing in both standard and extended variants, a Blue Origin New Glenn fairing, and three SpaceX fairings. The SpaceX fairings include the current Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy fairing, an extended variant of the Falcon Heavy, and the nosecone used on the upcoming Starship.
In response to the comparison with large declared Musk:
“Starship fairing will actually have more altitude than shown here. Dome will be flatter and more of tip is accessible. Usable volume ~ 1000 cubic meters.”
The image helps put the bare scale of the project currently being carried out at SpaceX into perspective. The company is developing the Starship at its Boca Chica facility in Texas. The fully reusable ship stands about 400 feet high when paired with the Super Heavy booster, and is capable of carrying more than 150 tons or 100 people at a time. SpaceX plans to use the ship to target a human city on Mars by 2050.
The ambitious ship requires an ambitious fairing. The company aims to offer up to 1000 cubic meters of volume. That should result in tight cabin space of similar size to an Airbus A380. Musk has previously explained about his plans to offer toilets for two to three people, by using each side of the room more effectively due to the nature of zero gravity.
How does Starship fairing compare to other ships?
- The upcoming Vulcan Centaur is set to offer a 5.4-meter diameter (17.7-foot) payload in both 15.5-meter (51-foot) and 21.3-meter (70-foot) height configurations.
- The Falcon User Guide shows the standard fairing measures 5.2 meters (17.2 feet) in outside diameter and 13.2 meters (43.5 feet) high. The internal payload area has a maximum diameter of 4.6 meters (15.1 feet) and a maximum height of 11 meters (36.1 feet).
- The Blue Origin User Guide covers the upcoming New Glenn Dome seven meters (23 feet) long, 21.9 meters (72 feet) high, and offers an internal usable volume that measures “at least” 450 cubic meters (16,000 cubic meters).
- The Starship user manual shows that the loadload volume reaches eight meters (26.3 feet) in diameter and 17.2 meters (56 feet) high. The guide also claims that an extended variant can be 22 meters (72 feet) high.
The Starship manual states that the standard fairing results in “the largest usable loadload volume of any current as well as in development launcher.”
When it launches, it should be impressive. This month, the company launched for the first time its “SN5” prototype in the air. While the ship sports many of the same features as the final ship, it unleashed the nosecone that was expected to debut on future cars.
De Inverse analysis – The image highlights just how big the planned Starship fairing will be, even compared to other future ships such as the ULA Vulcan Centaur or the Blue Origin New Glenn.
The key will be whether SpaceX can deliver on its ambitious promises: Musk has outlined a bold roadmap suggesting it could launch the first charge-filled Starships for Mars in 2022. The Starship is impressive in and of itself, but Musk’s plans for his future missions mean that it may not end up being the most impressive aspect of the ship.
