Saturn V vs. Starship: What Are the Key Differences?

The Saturn V rocket played a pivotal role in the famous Apollo missions that first took astronauts to the moon. Built in the 1960s, the Saturn V was the most powerful rocket that had ever launched successfully. It completed 12 missions between 1967 and 1973, including the famous Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969.

SpaceX's Starship is a more modern craft developed to facilitate interplanetary travel. SpaceX is designing Starship to be a fully reusable spacecraft capable of long-distance journeys to other planets. The aims of this project include reducing the cost and complexity of space travel.

The Saturn V was developed under the guidance of German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, whose designs defined the early decades of NASA’s missions. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, is the driving force behind the development of Starship, and the company’s president, Gwynne Shotwell is one of the most influential women in the space travel industry.

Here is a closer look at these two spacecraft and how they define the past, present, and future of space travel.

Design and Specifications

The designs of Saturn V and Starship differ primarily because the two spacecraft have different purposes. Saturn V's structure provided the reliability and payload capacity needed for the Apollo missions. On the other hand, Starship focuses on cost-effectiveness, which is necessary for more frequent, long-distance space exploration.

The Saturn V's design included three stages and used a mix of RP-1 (kerosine) and liquid oxygen fuel for a thrust of 7.5 million pounds. Starship uses liquid methane and oxygen to generate a thrust of 16 million pounds. The new fuel and boosters highlight SpaceX's focus on efficiency.

Both rockets broke new ground during their eras. Saturn V's F-1 engines and three-stage design were cutting-edge in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Starship's reusability and methane-fueled engines represent a leap forward in reducing launch costs and improving versatility.

Saturn V vs. SpaceX Starship: Size Comparison

Saturn V was 363 feet tall and weighed about 6.2 million pounds at launch. It was by far the largest and heaviest rocket of its time and capable of carrying a 141-metric-ton payload (155 tons).

Starship, including the Super Heavy booster rocket, is 397 feet tall and has a mass of approximately 5,000 tons. This increased size and weight are partly due to the Raptor engines, which allow Starship to handle longer missions and carry 100 to 150 tons of cargo.

Fuel economy and thrust were also affected by the size of these spacecraft. Saturn V's three-stage design was ideal for moon missions. In contrast, Starship's two-stage design focuses on maximizing fuel efficiency for longer journeys and different mission goals, such as landing on Mars.

Mission Capabilities and Goals

The Saturn V had a specific mission to deliver crew and cargo to lunar orbit. During each Saturn V mission, the different stages were discarded when they weren't needed anymore. Ground crews rebuilt the rocket for the next mission.

Starship allows for more diverse missions like Mars exploration and lunar landings. Its reusability makes space exploration much more affordable, putting ambitious missions, such as crewed flights to Mars, within reach economically.

Technological Advancements

The Saturn V introduced F-1 engines, the most powerful liquid-fueled rocket engines that had ever been developed. It provided the thrust necessary to escape Earth's atmosphere. The rocket also used a three-stage design to optimize efficiency, with each stage dumped after serving its purpose. Saturn V's guidance system, which included an onboard digital computer, was crucial for ensuring precise landings on the moon.

Starship's Raptor engines are much more efficient than previous rocket generations. Meanwhile, the stainless steel construction offers greater durability and heat resistance compared to conventional materials.

Propulsion Systems

The Saturn V rocket was powered by engines designed for specific stages of its mission.

• The first stage (S-IC) had five F-1 engines, each producing 1.5 million pounds of thrust to overcome gravity.
• The second stage (S-II) was equipped with five J-2 engines, using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Each of these provided 200,000 to 250,000 pounds of thrust.
• The third stage (S-IVB) had a single J-2 engine. Unlike the other two stages, it remained attached and propelled the spacecraft to the moon.

SpaceX's Starship features the advanced Raptor engines, which are designed for efficiency and reusability.

• The first stage, known as the Super Heavy booster, is powered by 33 Raptor engines, each generating around 500,000 pounds of thrust.
• The second stage, the Starship itself, uses six Raptor engines (three optimized for sea-level and three for vacuum conditions) to provide the necessary thrust for space travel.

Crucially, the shift to methane as a fuel source in Starship shows an advance in propulsion technology, which makes interplanetary travel more feasible.

Cost and Economic Impact

Saturn V was costly. The Apollo program, including the development of Saturn V, cost approximately $25.8 billion in the 1960s and 1970s. That's $257 billion adjusted for inflation. NASA justified the spending with the political and scientific importance of the Apollo missions.

The exact development costs for Starship are not publicly disclosed, but SpaceX's approach aims to reduce per-launch costs. The company's goal is to bring the cost of launching the craft down to as low as $2 million per flight.

The Apollo missions also fueled innovation in engineering and technology, which impacted other areas, including air travel, computers, and communication. Starship seeks to have a similar impact, making other planets accessible and enabling commercial space travel.

Funding and Partnerships

The U.S. government funded the development of the Saturn V rocket through NASA's budget. The Apollo program received support from Congress, which saw the space race as a front in the Cold War.

SpaceX's funding model for Starship is different, relying on a combination of private investment and partnerships. SpaceX relies on funding from venture capital firms and investors. Additionally, the company has strategic partnerships with NASA and other space agencies. For example, NASA's Artemis program is a collaborative project that involves SpaceX.

Legacy and Future Prospects

Saturn V marked the start of space exploration by putting humans on the moon. The Apollo missions showed that space exploration was realistic. The scientific and technological knowledge from these efforts set the stage for future missions and the development of new systems like NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). However, its development was based on a single goal: getting to the moon.

Starship seeks to push space travel and exploration forward by making it more affordable. The ship's design allows it to work for different purposes and support ongoing space exploration.

Influence on Space Policy

The Saturn V rocket had a profound influence on space policy during the 1960s and 1970s, as its success in the Apollo program increased interest in space exploration, including international collaborations like the International Space Station (ISS).

Looking ahead, Starship has the potential to shape future policies and foster international cooperation in the same way. As the quest for Mars colonization and deep-space exploration gains momentum, such collaboration is essential.

Saturn V set the stage for space travel development. In many ways, Starship is the next stage of the effort, taking exploration from the Moon to the wider galaxy.