Abstract
Wikipedia overview of SpaceX Starship payload across blocks: Block 1 15 t to LEO, Block 2 35 t, Block 3 100 t, Block 4 200 t (reusable); ~400 t in expendable mode. Per-Starship-tanker propellant payload ~100 t. Musk-quoted refueling estimate: 8 tanker launches to refill a single Starship for interplanetary trajectory. NASA-quoted estimate: 16 tanker launches (cryogenic boiloff factored). These ratios are the key levers for cislunar/Mars propellant depot demand. Tier E orientation; specific payload figures are widely cross-referenced.
Key claims
- not-saved-tier-E
Reviewer notes
Tier E. Block 3/4 payload (100/200 t to LEO) and 8-16 refuelings-per- interplanetary-ship are the principal cross-references for q6's propellant-depot demand calc. These appear in primary SpaceX presentations and in the Casey Handmer propellant-stability post which is source-review-eligible.