Starship, the latest creation from SpaceX, has been making waves in the aerospace industry as the largest rocket ever built. Standing at nearly 400 feet (121 meters) tall and boasting an impressive 16.7 million pounds (7,590 tons) of force at liftoff, Starship is truly a behemoth in the world of space exploration.
Comparing Starship to some of the other largest rockets ever constructed, we see just how monumental this rocket truly is. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, which was previously the most powerful operational rocket in the world, pales in comparison with its 5 million pounds of thrust, only about one-third of Starship's power.
The iconic Saturn V rocket, known for powering the Apollo moon landings, produced about 7.6 million pounds of thrust at takeoff, still less than half of Starship's expected power. The Space Shuttle, NASA's reliable launch system post-Apollo era, had two solid rocket boosters generating about 5.3 million pounds of force at liftoff, standing at about 180 feet (55 meters) tall.
On the other hand, NASA's Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket currently in operation, produces about 8.8 million pounds of thrust, just over half of Starship's expected output, and stands at 212 feet (65 meters) tall. The Russian N1 rocket, although never operational, was expected to give off more than 10 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, still falling short of Starship's immense power by 40%.
With its groundbreaking size and power, Starship is setting a new standard for rocket technology and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in space exploration.
