Will SpaceX’s Starship Have Landing Legs?
With Starship development and future goals happening at rapid speeds and constantly changing it can be hard to know exactly what the plan is. An example of this could be the future of Starship and more specifically whether or not SpaceX plans on using landing legs.
It is very likely that some future Starship models will have legs and others may not. When going to different planets such as Mars or the Moon, landing legs will be necessary. However, with possible plans to catch Starship in the future, they may be models where no legs are necessary to help with production, weight, cost, and more.
A similar process went into the development of Super Heavy. Unlike the Falcon 9 booster, Super Heavy is not planning on having any landing legs. Instead, SpaceX is working towards catching it out of mid-air. This exact solution could end up being the fate of some future Starship models.
Landing Legs In Starship Development
Looking back at early Starship pictures and concepts there were a lot of differences from what we see today. An example could be the landing legs. Almost all of the images and videos showed Starship with landing legs. However, a lot has changed since early Starship development. One of the first uses of landing legs seen during Starship development was on Starhopper. These legs were very large and fixed in place for landing. They did their job successfully but soon after both the legs and test vehicle were phased out. SpaceX began working on more Starship prototypes such as SN1.
One of the first times we were able to see landing legs again however was on SN5. SN5 had the first 150m hop and needed something to land on. SpaceX installed small foldable landing legs positioned on the inside of Starship. These legs are unique because of their size and the design for holding so much weight. More specifically these smaller landing legs are meant to be partially crushed under the weight of Starship. We have seen these legs in multiple tests including 10km flights. The landing legs up to this point have done their job but they are temporary. They are great for testing and quickly getting a working solution but these legs would not be a good long-term option. In the future, there are a lot of different factors that will impact whether or not Starship will have landing legs.
Pros & Cons Of Landing Legs
Landing legs in a lot of circumstances seem like a necessity, however, it is possible for SpaceX to avoid using them in certain scenarios. This brings up the question of why do they want to get rid of them. A very important number for a rocket is the weight. This number determines many things like how much fuel is needed to get into orbit, the cost, its payload capacity, and more. This is why companies do everything in their power to lower the weight of their launch vehicle. While landing legs may seem like a small part of the rocket they still contribute to the weight.
If SpaceX could manage to remove landing legs it would lower the overall weight and allow the rocket to bring even more cargo into orbit. Another positive is the production and cost. SpaceX not only wants to make Starship very cost-effective but they also want to produce a lot of them in the future. Landing legs are actually one of the more complicated parts of a rocket. This is especially the case when the legs rather than being fixed, instead fold-out or move prior to landing. This exact problem can be seen with the Falcon 9 booster. The landing legs are a big part of the refurbishment process and have slowed SpaceX down for quite a while. No landing legs would help make the production and refurbishment process a lot easier and faster, along with lowering the overall cost of the rocket.
I just mentioned a lot of benefits for not having landing legs, however, there are many scenarios where they are needed. An example could be landing anywhere where there is no infrastructure. These could be different planets where a Starship is one of the first things on the surface. Another is landing on uneven or rocky surfaces. If SpaceX were to use adjustable landing legs this would allow them to land on rough terrain and not risk the rocket tipping over or having any issues when landing.
What We Are Likely To See In The Future
In the future, we are guaranteed to see some Starship models with landing legs, and the possibility of multiple Starship models without legs. The reason for this has to do with SpaceX’s future goals and the pros of having no landing legs. The reason some Starship models are guaranteed to have landing legs in the future is because of Mars and the Moon. The alternative to landing Starship is catching it. That will not be possible on distant planets and celestial bodies such as Mars and the Moon. This means SpaceX will need to install landing legs on future lunar lander models and Starships meant for Mars. These legs will need to be adjustable on landing.
On these missions, there will be no landing pad meaning the ground will be rough and uneven. Adjustable landing legs will ensure the Starship sits upright after landing. Recently Elon Musk has talked about a future Starship and whether or not it will have legs. In a tweet he said, “Ideal scenario imo is catching Starship in horizontal “glide” with no landing burn, although that is quite a challenge for the tower! Next best is catching with tower, with emergency pad landing mode on skirt (no legs). This shows the goal of some Starship models having no landing legs at all. Musk would prefer if they could catch the upper stage just like they plan on catching the first stage.
Super Heavy Example
A similar scenario to the upper stage Starship has already happened with Super Heavy. Just like Starship, in early graphics and visuals, SpaceX showed Super Heavy with large fixed landing legs. This was the plan from the very start. However, after development started for the booster SpaceX changed its mind. They decided it would be beneficial if they tried catching Super Heavy rather than landing it normally. This meant they would not have to use landing legs at all. The goal was to speed up production, lower weight, help with the cost, and more.
After making this change SpaceX started working immediately. The company now has booster test vehicles with no landing legs and is almost done assembling a large catching mechanism for the booster. It’s possible we see a similar fate for some future Starship models. If SpaceX can find a way to reliably catch a Starship upper stage then it would help them a lot and end up getting rid of the landing legs.
Conclusion
The combination of Starship’s rapid development and SpaceX’s continued ambitious ideas makes it very hard to keep track of their plans. They are constantly working towards the best solution that many would never even consider. The perfect example of this could be landing legs. At first, everyone was convinced that Super Heavy would have legs but then SpaceX started working on large arms to catch it out of mid-air. The same might happen in the future with the Starship upper stage. Removing the legs has a lot of different benefits. This is part of the reason why SpaceX is constantly thinking of ways to get rid of them. As Starship development continues and SpaceX keeps making changes we will have to wait and see exactly what different future Starship models look like.
