ITS launch vehicle
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Rendering of ITS launch vehicle stack ascending with an Interplanetary Spaceship on top
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|
| Function | Mars colonization |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Project cost | US$10 billion (before generation of positive cash flow, 2016 estimate) |
| Cost per launch | US$62 million (2016 estimate) |
| Size | |
| Height | 122 m (400 ft) |
| Diameter | 12 m (39 ft) booster rocket |
| Width | 17 m (56 ft) spaceship or tanker |
| Mass | 10,500 t (23,100,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 300 t (660,000 lb) reusable 550 t (1,210,000 lb) expendable |
| Payload to Mars | 450 t (990,000 lb)with propellant refill in Earth orbit |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Launch sites |
|
| First stage - ITS Booster | |
| Length | 77.5 m (254 ft) |
| Diameter | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Empty mass | 275 t (606,000 lb) |
| Gross mass | 6,975 t (15,377,000 lb) |
| Engines | 42 Raptor (sea level) |
| Thrust | 128 MN (29×106 lbf) sea level 138 MN (31×106 lbf) vacuum |
| Specific impulse | 334 s (3.28 km/s) sea level |
| Fuel | Subcooled CH4 / LOX |
| Second stage - Interplanetary Spaceship | |
| Length | 49.5 m (162 ft) |
| Width | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Empty mass | 150 t (330,000 lb) |
| Gross mass | 2,100 t (4,600,000 lb) |
| Engines | 9 Raptor (6 vacuum, 3 sea level) |
| Thrust | 31 MN (7.0×106 lbf) vacuum |
| Specific impulse | 382 s (3.75 km/s) vacuum, for 6 engines 361 s (3.54 km/s) vacuum, for 3 engines |
| Fuel | Subcooled CH4 / LOX |
| Second stage - ITS Tanker | |
| Length | 49.5 m (162 ft) |
| Width | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Empty mass | 90 t (200,000 lb) |
| Gross mass | 2,590 t (5,710,000 lb) |
| Engines | 9 Raptor (6 vacuum, 3 sea level) |
| Thrust | 31 MN (7.0×106 lbf) vacuum |
| Specific impulse | 382 s (3.75 km/s) vacuum, for 6 engines 361 s (3.54 km/s) vacuum, for 3 engines |
| Fuel | Subcooled CH4 / LOX |
The ITS launch vehicle is a privately-funded orbital launch vehicle in development by SpaceX. The initial design objective of the vehicle is to launch a variety of SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System missions to Mars and other destinations in the beyond-Earth-orbit portion of the Solar System. Design work on the vehicle began in 2012 and first launch is not expected before the 2020s.
The ITS launch vehicle is described as a two-stage rocket. Its first stage will be powered by 42 Raptor rocket engines—also designed and manufactured by SpaceX—operating on densified methane/oxygen propellants that have not been widely used as rocket propellants in the past. Like the Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle that preceded it, the ITS launch vehicle's first stage is designed to be reusable, following a return to the launch site and vertical landing following each launch. New on this vehicle will be full reusability of even the second-stage and spacecraft as well. The large payload capacity of the launch vehicle places it into the super-heavy lift class, with the ability to place 300 tonnes (660,000 lb) into low Earth orbit in reusable configuration and 550 tonnes (1,210,000 lb) in expendable mode.
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