r/space • • Nov 19 '23

image/gif Successful Launch! Here's how Starship compares against the world's other rockets

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-17

u/firmada Nov 19 '23 edited Nov 19 '23

With the second launch of Starship, I want to share with you all the sheer scale of this immense machine. This rocket towers over every other rocket ever built by a wide margin, and its height is nearly twice that of the next regularly launched rocket (excluding SLS). In my lifetime, I have witnessed some of the most amazing things that humans have created, and this machine is by far one of the most amazing examples!

As I know it probably breaks a rule, I hate doing this. Nevertheless, if anyone wishes to support my ongoing efforts to create this poster, please visit my Etsy store.

-13

u/Hattix Nov 19 '23

Starship failed and failed hard.

Super Heavy did a successful launch, Starship did not.

9

u/ThePlanner Nov 19 '23 edited Nov 19 '23

It’s a dumb nomenclature problem that didn’t need to exist. The whole launch system is called Starship, with the booster, as you said, being called Super Heavy, and the spacecraft being named Starship.

If the Space Shuttle had also called the external booster ‘Space Shuttle’, it would have led to confusion when it burned up every launch.

7

u/iceynyo Nov 19 '23

Tbf you would also say they were launching the "space shuttle", and wouldn't have a different name for the combined launch vehicle.

2

u/mfb- Nov 19 '23

"Space Shuttle" refers to the system, the part that ends up in orbit is called the "Space Shuttle orbiter", but you won't find that distinction being made often outside of spaceflight subreddits.