Difference between Falcon 9 and Starship

Here are the major differences between Falcon 9 and Starship!

Purpose and Payload Capacity

• Falcon 9: The Falcon 9 is a partially reusable rocket designed primarily for launching payloads into Earth orbit, including satellites, cargo for the International Space Station (ISS), and other payloads. It has a maximum payload capacity to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) of around 22 metric tons.
• Starship: Starship is being developed with the goal of becoming a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying both crew and cargo on missions beyond Earth orbit, including missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Its intended payload capacity to LEO is significantly higher, potentially exceeding 100 metric tons.

Reusability

• Falcon 9: Falcon 9 incorporates partial reusability, with the first stage being capable of returning to Earth, landing vertically, and being reused for multiple missions. The second stage, however, is expendable.
• Starship: Starship is designed to be fully reusable, including both the first and second stages. SpaceX's aim is for rapid turnaround and extensive reuse of the entire vehicle.

Propulsion

• Falcon 9: Falcon 9 uses 9 Merlin engines on its first stage and the more efficient vacuum-optimized Merlin Vacuum engine on its second stage.
• Starship: Starship is planned to be powered by SpaceX's Raptor engines. It will have multiple Raptor engines on both the first and second stages. First stage (Super Heavy) has 33 Raptor engines.

Missions

• Falcon 9: Falcon 9 is primarily used for launching satellites, cargo resupply missions to the ISS, and occasionally crewed missions to the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
• Starship: Starship's intended missions include lunar landings, Mars missions, and potentially point-to-point Earth travel. Elon Musk plans to use these rockets to go to Moon and Mars.

Size and Design

• Falcon 9: Falcon 9 has a two-stage design, with the first stage being relatively small compared to the second stage.
• Starship: Starship is a much larger and fully reusable spacecraft designed for deep space missions. It features a stainless steel construction and a stainless steel heat shield for reentry.

Development Status

• Falcon 9: Falcon 9 is operational and has been used extensively for commercial, government, and crewed missions.
• Starship: Starship is still in development and testing phase at SpaceX's facilities in Texas. Second Test launch is expected to happen in late 2023.