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Not true. Saturn V's lift to LEO was 120-140 tonnes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V) while SpaceX claims Starshi

Not true. Saturn V's lift to LEO was 120-140 tonnes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V) while SpaceX claims Starship's is "over" 100 tonnes (https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf).

ceejayoz 5y ago
It exceeds Saturn V on the second launch that day. ;-)
- lmilcin 5y ago
  Well, if you have a 140t payload it doesn't matter how many 100t payloads you can lift per day, it just isn't going to lift it. On the other hand, obviously, payloads are planned for the rocket they are going to be lifted by, so most likely somebody will set constraints on their project to either have smaller payload or split it into parts.
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    Right; I think Starship, if it pans out, is going to entirely change how we plan, build, and carry out space missions, both manned and unmanned.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
    It's also possible whoever has such a large payload might want their own second stage & a fairing, instead of Starship. A single-use stage (no reserve fuel) with no re-entry needs could be a lot lighter than Starship, though vastly more expensive. That might be worth it for some payloads. Super Heavy is planned to be a ridiculously powerful booster. I doubt that will happen though. It's far more likely in-orbit assembly and orbital refueling will progress dramatically as launch costs drop, and anyone with such a payload would find a way to design it for such assembly.
- zzt123 5y ago
  Don’t final inspections with payload attached by itself take more than a day? Or is that going to be a relic of the past?
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    I doubt anyone knows for sure at this point, but I'd imagine the goal is something more akin to loading cargo into the belly of an airliner; consistently sized modules with standardized attachments for power etc.
  - dredmorbius 5y ago
    Even given a few weeks, the relaunch of an Saturn V will be a bit rough.
avmich 5y ago
Starship brings any 100 tonnes to orbit, while of Saturn V's 120+ tons a half constitutes the 3rd stage with unspent fuel. So it's less of payload per ce for Saturn V compared to Starship. On the other hand, Starship didn't fly to orbit yet. We'll see better how it goes when it does. And we can't fly Saturn V now anyway. And Starship - even if supposedly with lower payload - promises to be much cheaper. And...
- bryanlarsen 5y ago
  In Skylab mode it was pure payload.
  - avmich 5y ago
    Which weighted less than 80 tons - much less than what other superheavy rockets are bringing to LEO - Energiya, SLS, BFR...
midasuni 5y ago
That’s looking at a single launch and neglecting the refuel ability.

ceejayoz 5y ago

It exceeds Saturn V on the second launch that day. ;-)

lmilcin 5y ago
Well, if you have a 140t payload it doesn't matter how many 100t payloads you can lift per day, it just isn't going to lift it. On the other hand, obviously, payloads are planned for the rocket they are going to be lifted by, so most likely somebody will set constraints on their project to either have smaller payload or split it into parts.
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  Right; I think Starship, if it pans out, is going to entirely change how we plan, build, and carry out space missions, both manned and unmanned.
- SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
  It's also possible whoever has such a large payload might want their own second stage & a fairing, instead of Starship. A single-use stage (no reserve fuel) with no re-entry needs could be a lot lighter than Starship, though vastly more expensive. That might be worth it for some payloads. Super Heavy is planned to be a ridiculously powerful booster. I doubt that will happen though. It's far more likely in-orbit assembly and orbital refueling will progress dramatically as launch costs drop, and anyone with such a payload would find a way to design it for such assembly.
zzt123 5y ago
Don’t final inspections with payload attached by itself take more than a day? Or is that going to be a relic of the past?
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  I doubt anyone knows for sure at this point, but I'd imagine the goal is something more akin to loading cargo into the belly of an airliner; consistently sized modules with standardized attachments for power etc.
- dredmorbius 5y ago
  Even given a few weeks, the relaunch of an Saturn V will be a bit rough.

avmich 5y ago

Starship brings any 100 tonnes to orbit, while of Saturn V's 120+ tons a half constitutes the 3rd stage with unspent fuel. So it's less of payload per ce for Saturn V compared to Starship. On the other hand, Starship didn't fly to orbit yet. We'll see better how it goes when it does. And we can't fly Saturn V now anyway. And Starship - even if supposedly with lower payload - promises to be much cheaper. And...

bryanlarsen 5y ago
In Skylab mode it was pure payload.
- avmich 5y ago
  Which weighted less than 80 tons - much less than what other superheavy rockets are bringing to LEO - Energiya, SLS, BFR...

midasuni 5y ago

That’s looking at a single launch and neglecting the refuel ability.