Starship vs Saturn V
Saturn V held the title of most powerful rocket ever flown for half a century. Starship took it in 2023 with roughly twice the liftoff thrust, but the two vehicles embody opposite philosophies: Saturn V was expendable and flew 13 times without a failure, while Starship is designed for full reuse and is still working through its test program.
Rockets5 min
Starship
Starship is SpaceX's fully reusable super heavy-lift rocket and the largest ever flown, with twelve test flights since 2023 and a Version 3 debut in May 2026.
Rockets5 min
Saturn V
Saturn V was the NASA rocket that launched the Apollo Moon missions and Skylab, flying 13 times from 1967 to 1973 without losing a crew or payload.
Key differences
- Size and power: Starship V3 stands 124.4 m tall with about twice the liftoff thrust of the 110.6 m Saturn V.
- Reusability: every Saturn V was discarded after one flight; Starship is designed so both stages fly again, with boosters already caught and reflown.
- Track record: Saturn V went 13 for 13 between 1967 and 1973 and landed crews on the Moon; Starship has flown 12 test flights since 2023 and has not yet flown an operational payload mission or crew.
- Cost model: Saturn V cost roughly 1.5 billion dollars per launch in today's money; SpaceX's goal for Starship is a marginal cost measured in millions, which only reuse can deliver.
Side-by-side specifications
| Starship | Saturn V | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SpaceX | Boeing, North American, Douglas (for NASA) |
| Country | United States | United States |
| First integrated flight | April 20, 2023 | - |
| Height | 124.4 m (V3), 121 m (V1-V2) | 110.6 m |
| Diameter | 9 m | 10.1 m |
| Stages | 2 (Super Heavy booster, Starship upper stage) | 3 |
| Engines | Raptor, burning liquid methane and oxygen | - |
| Payload to LEO | 100+ tonnes (planned, fully reusable) | 140,000 kg |
| Launch site | Starbase, Texas | - |
| Status | In flight testing (12 flights as of July 2026) | Retired (1973) |
| First flight | - | November 9, 1967 (Apollo 4) |
| Mass | - | About 2,900,000 kg (fueled) |
| Total launches | - | 13 (no failures) |
Figures come from each article's infobox; see the articles for sources and context.