SpaceX Starship: What It Is and Launch Plans

SpaceX is once again preparing to launch its Starship megarocket, and the question of spacex starship what is it has taken on new relevance as the company targets a thirteenth test flight on July 23. The mission will be livestreamed on SpaceX's website, and the stakes go well beyond another rocket demo.

What Is SpaceX Starship, Exactly

Starship is SpaceX's fully reusable, two stage launch system, made up of a Super Heavy booster and an upper stage spacecraft, both designed to be flown, landed, and reflown repeatedly rather than discarded after a single mission. It is the largest and most powerful rocket SpaceX has built, intended to eventually replace the company's workhorse Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles for the heaviest lifting jobs.

For this upcoming flight, SpaceX has laid out specific objectives for the booster: a clean launch, ascent, stage separation, a boostback burn, and a landing burn that brings it down at an offshore point in the Gulf of America. The company says it has made