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So far, SpaceX has made and destroyed/launched Starhopper, MK1-MK4, SN1-SN19, BN1-BN3, and BN5. They also have SN20 on the launchpad stacked on BN4. The are stacking SN21-SN22, and SN23-SN24 are under construction. BN7-BN8 also are being constructed. So, what will be the final starship prototype?

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    $\begingroup$ The one that works perfectly, or probably has one small problem. No way to know yet. $\endgroup$
    – Chris B. Behrens
    Mar 12, 2021 at 17:50
  • $\begingroup$ Which do you mean? Do you mean the upper stage, the booster or both? $\endgroup$
    – Saturn 5
    Mar 15, 2021 at 16:46

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The one that achieves all the goals SpaceX has set for the prototype program.

We don't know which goals those are, they have not been publicly disclosed. Even if we did know, we wouldn't know which prototype achieves those goals, because the whole point of prototypes is that you don't know whether they will work – that's why you build them in the first place.

Since we don't know what the goals of the prototype program are, and not even SpaceX knows how many prototypes they will need, literally nobody knows the answer to the question.

SpaceX started building SN12–14, but then later realized it doesn't make sense to test them and scrapped them again. SpaceX also built Mk I for flight testing, but that didn't work out either. Clearly, not even SpaceX knows what prototypes they need.

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    $\begingroup$ What are those goals they want to meet? $\endgroup$
    – Saturn 5
    Mar 15, 2021 at 16:53
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    $\begingroup$ I would submit that at this stage they don't even have the questions figured out yet. We're still years away from having human beings on these vessels, and when that starts approaching a lot of things are going to get shifted around. There's no articulation for payload delivery, only minimal onboard power production...what we're seeing right now are engine and aero tests, which are only a small (but super-important) part of the entire system. $\endgroup$
    – Chris B. Behrens
    Mar 15, 2021 at 20:35
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    $\begingroup$ They have said they will launch civilians to the Moon in 2023. I am guessing the will launch astronauts before civilians. How could they still not have the questions figured out> $\endgroup$
    – Saturn 5
    Mar 19, 2021 at 15:28
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    $\begingroup$ @Saturn5: First off, Elon time is not real time. You might be shocked to learn that sometimes people make predictions that later turn out not to be true. Secondly, it is quite likely that #dearMoon is going to happen before Artemis 2. Thirdly, it is not necessarily a given that Starship will launch and/or land with crew on board. They could launch the crew on Dragon and transfer them to Starship in orbit, then do the reverse when they come back. Fourth, Elon Musk has said that he wants hundreds of successful cargo flights before they put crew on board. At the moment, SpaceX is launching … $\endgroup$
    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 19, 2021 at 15:34
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    $\begingroup$ ~30 Falcon 9 per year. They want to increase that, for sure, but customers and demand don't appear out of nowhere. They need to sell hundreds of launches first before they can fly them. $\endgroup$
    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 19, 2021 at 15:35

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