Three Types of Starship: Differences Between Tanker, Cargo, and Lunar Modifications
Renowned insider Sawyer Merritt shared a render on his X page showing three different modifications of the Starship spacecraft side by side. This image clearly demonstrates how Elon Musk's SpaceX adapts a single base design for completely different tasks. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .
On the left side of the image is the orbital tanker (Tanker). Its body is smooth, lacking heat shield tiles and aerodynamic fins. This variant is designed solely for storing large amounts of methane and oxygen in orbit and transferring them to other ships. These ships act as "gas stations" for long-range missions.
In the center is the cargo variant (Cargo). This is the classic Starship model with control surfaces, heat shielding, and the ability to return to Earth. It serves to carry heavy payloads, Starlink satellites, and future Mars modules into orbit.
On the right is the lunar version (Lunar / HLS), specifically developed for NASA's Artemis program. It features a unique configuration of landing legs and construction for a soft landing on the lunar surface. Such modularity is one of the key advantages of the Starship project.
This publication comes as preparations are underway for the 12th test flight of the Starship 3 system. A single ship can perform complex tasks in various configurations, from orbital refueling to landing astronauts on the Moon.
