SPACEX began development of the Mars colonization system (the predecessor of the starship) as early as around 2012. Musk unveiled the starship's follow-up plans at a press conference in 2018 and began manufacturing the starship's first prototype in March of that year. As soon as the plan was announced, it caused great controversy, even now.
(Multi-figure warning)
At the Boca Chica starship base in 19 years, there was nothing on the site except a greenhouse and a prototype of the Star Bug. In fact, the starship began to have two bases, one in Boca Chica, Texas (now the starship base), and the other in Cape Cabo, Florida, but this base was abandoned in 19 years for some reason.
Boca Chica Starship Base
Abandoned card point starship base
In August 2019, the starship's first prototype, the StarHopper, successfully completed its mission, a 150-meter test jump mission
Star worms
After the success of the Starworm, SPACEX began testing the MK1, the starship's second test aircraft, but during the stress test on November 20, 2019, the MK1 exploded because it could not withstand the enormous pressure. Musk then said that the MK series prototype will no longer be tested, and the follow-up task will be changed to BN1 to take over.
MK1
In February 2020, the prototype SN1 began to undergo stress testing, but in the pressure test on the 29th, SN1 still failed to resist, and the test failed again
SN1
Launch exploding SN1
On April 3, 2020, SN3 was crushed due to the wrong order of fuel fall in the stress test, and the test still failed... Follow-up testing of SN4
SN3
Crushed SN3
On April 28, 2020, the prototype SN4 finally passed the cryogenic pressure test, officially assembled the Raptor engine, and carried out static ignition testing. During a static ignition on May 30, a fuel leak occurred at the bottom of the SN4, and at the moment of engine ignition, the SN4 exploded violently, and the test still failed... But "thankfully" the test was "upgraded" from a physical explosion to a chemical explosion
SN4
Exploded SN4
After the failure of the SN4, the SN5 and SN6 prototypes quickly began construction and testing. On August 5, 2020, the SN5 prototype successfully conducted a 150-meter test mission, and a month later, the SN6 also successfully completed the take-off test
SN5 and SN6 launches
flight
Landed
During the starship's rapid tests, the Raptor engines also accelerated production, with the current production rate of Raptor engines at 48 hours per unit. Musk said he expects to reach a rate of one production per day next year. The starship base is also under rapid construction, and construction of a new assembly building (High Bay) began in August 2020. Musk said that such a production environment is a future simulation of the future Martian environment
Raptors produced on assembly lines
High Bay
On December 10, 2020, the starship SN8 conducted the first 15km high-altitude test, in which the SN8 successfully completed a series of difficult tasks such as take-off, hovering, attitude flipping, etc., but due to insufficient pressure in the fuel tank in the landing, the landing speed of the SN8 was too fast, and the ground collision launched an explosion. In 2021, SN9, SN10, and SN11 were tested at high altitude, and the results were all failed due to failure in landing. Follow-up directly to carry out SN15 related tests
SN10 exploded after landing
On May 6, 2021, SN15 was successfully launched and landed, and the test was a complete success
Successful landing of SN15
After the success of SN15, the tests of the completed SN16 and the subsequent 17, 18, 19 were abandoned and directly jumped to the test of the overweight booster BN3 and the composite, which is also the testing stage reached in reality at present. Construction of the launch service tower has come to an end, and it is no surprise that in August and September this year we can see the first orbital test of the starship
Into orbit
Starship re-entry
In 2022, the Starship Portfolio will undergo multiple orbital tests, and the final Starship 2.0 version will also be launched in 22 years
The original version of the Starship
Version 2.0 starship with a smoother surface
By the end of 2022, the Starship Transport version will enter mass production, and Boca Chica will be expanded to an unprecedented scale. It's a difficult process, and to achieve Martian colonization, you need at least 1,000 starships and maintain a frequency of three launches per day. Musk said he hopes more engineers can move to the Boca Chica starship base
Star City boca chica
In 2023, SpaceX began using starships to launch Earth's Starlink satellites, launching 400 satellites each time (currently the Falcon 9 rocket launches 60 Starlink satellites each) in preparation for the Mars orbiting Starchain. The Starship Maritime Launch Platform begins to be put into service
The starship launches the StarChain
Launch/Recovery at Sea
In late 2023, the first on-orbit refueling test of a starship is planned to prepare for flight to Mars
Refueling on orbit
In 2024, SpaceX launched an unmanned starship to Mars for the first time
Starship with solar wings
In mid-2024, the first manned mission was carried out, carrying the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on a flight around the moon. At the same time, there was also the launch of the lunar version of the starship planned by Artemis
Left around the moon starship, right lunar landing starship
Starships orbit the moon
The Orion spacecraft and the starship dock
The lunar version of the starship is on the lunar surface
In 2025, the unmanned starship launched in 24 years arrived on Mars and carried out an initial exploration mission. SpaceX began to form a communication network for the orbit of Mars
The starship enters orbit on Mars
The starship breaks through the black barrier
Successful landing
In 2026, the first year of commercial space travel, the starship began docking the commercial space station and began to build a permanent lunar base for the Artemis program
Private space station
Artemis plans a lunar base
In 2027, more and more cargo starships will arrive on Mars and place life support systems and scientific research equipment on Mars
In 2028, the first manned starship arrived on Mars, and humans landed on Mars for the first time
Manned starship
In the future, more and more astronauts will arrive on Mars on starships, Mars oxygen production, Mars planting, mars manufacturing starship fuel (methane)..... The goal is to establish the first city on Mars in 2050
Of course, the animation is only a planned event, and we can't predict the changes in reality. Although all this seems too far away now, at least action has begun. I believe that many people will question the current Musk, thinking that this is just a means of making money, because no one has ever tried it before. But even if his plan didn't work out, it was a great endeavor
It's not easy to write
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图源 Deep Space Sourier*（YouTube）