00:00SpaceX's Starship was already the biggest rocket ever built, but now it's even bigger.
00:05For comparison, this is Starship version 1.
00:08V2 was a big step up from this, and now V3 is stepping in to bring Starship to its next
00:13level of development.
00:15SpaceX has redesigned major parts of both stages, the Super Heavy booster and the Starship
00:20upper stage.
00:21V3 stands about 5 feet taller than earlier Starships, and both stages now use SpaceX's
00:26upgraded Raptor 3 engines.
00:27On Super Heavy, that means 33 engines producing more than 18 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
00:33The booster now only has 3 grid fins instead of its previous 4.
00:37They're larger and have been moved lower on the rocket to better survive the heat and
00:40stress of hot staging.
00:42And the hot stage ring also got an upgrade.
00:44It's now attached to the upper part of Super Heavy rather than falling away at vehicle separation.
00:49The booster's business end also got a design boost.
00:53SpaceX upgraded Super Heavy's plumbing and hardware around its engine section to reduce
00:57weight and help its engines ignite faster and with more reliability.
01:00Starship's upper stage, commonly referred to as just ship, now has bigger propellant
01:05tanks, improved control thrusters, and new systems for managing its super chilled cryogenic
01:10fuels in space, including 4 docking ports on its backside to transfer propellants between
01:14vessels.
01:15And that part's important.
01:17For Starship to travel beyond low Earth orbit, especially for when it flies as the lunar lander
01:21on NASA's Artemis missions, SpaceX has to prove it can transfer cryogenic propellant between
01:26ships in orbit and store that fuel long term without too much boil off.
01:30It's a step toward a version of Starship that can launch often and land safely, with fast
01:35orbital refuels to eventually carry crews to the Moon and Mars.
01:38And SpaceX's next biggest step toward that reality is Starship V3.
01:43Squidwardaser
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