--- title: "Here’s How Many Shipping Containers You Could Fit Inside SpaceX’s Starship" description: "A new visualization by SpaceX enthusiast Neopork shows how two 40 foot shipping containers can fit inside the SpaceX Starship." date: "2020-06-30" modified: "2020-07-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/shipping-containers-fit-inside-spacex-starship" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "Falcon Heavy" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" --- # Here’s How Many Shipping Containers You Could Fit Inside SpaceX’s Starship ![A new visualization by SpaceX enthusiast and Twitter user Neopork shows just how much room there is inside Starship's cargo fairing.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* A new visualization by Twitter user Neopork shows just how much room there is inside [Starship]()'s cargo fairing. According to the graphic, you could fit two entire standard 40-foot shipping containers, and still be able to comfortably stand on top of them. https://twitter.com/Neopork85/status/1277947493787906049 "There are no guarantees Starship will be successful, but the capacity to get this much cargo into space, on a reusable vehicle, is truly revolutionary," said *Ars Technica*'s senior space editor Eric Berger in [a comment]() highlighting the graphic. If all goes according to plan — a substantial "if" — SpaceX says Starship will be capable of ferrying 100 passengers, or 100 tons of cargo, into orbit and on to the Moon or even Mars. To accomplish such a feat, the spacecraft needs plenty of room. In late March, SpaceX released its [Payload User's Guide]() to its massive spacecraft, noting how a Super Heavy rocket configuration of the Starship could carry 100 metric tons of cargo into low-Earth orbit (roughly 400 km up, where the space station is located) and 'only' 21 tons to geostationary orbit (at 36,000 km, where the majority of satellites orbit Earth) as it's a substantially longer trip. The fairing could fit objects that are up to 72 feet in length and 26 feet wide. The guide also points out that thanks to its massive cargo capacity, future Starships could be used to refuel spacecraft in orbit so they can go on to much longer journeys. We still don't know when SpaceX will launch its first Starship mission. But as [*Ars Technica* pointed out]() in March, Starship will likely fly cargo missions years before humans get a ride. SpaceX is already [building its eighth]() Starship prototype at its testing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. The tank alone is absolutely ginormous, as [recent photos]() illustrate. With booster, the rocket will tower at about [just shy of 400 feet](), almost 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. *Editor's note 6/30/22: An earlier version of this story misstated the orbiting height of the International Space Station. It has been updated.* **READ MORE:** [SpaceX releases a Payload User’s Guide for its Starship rocket]() \[*Ars Technica*\] **More on Starship:** *[Damn, This Photo Shows How Huge SpaceX’s Starship Really Is]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()