# Interplanetary Transport System > reusable space launch and spacecraft system proposed by SpaceX **Wikidata**: [Q27044183](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27044183) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_System) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/interplanetary-transport-system ## Summary The Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) is a reusable space launch and spacecraft system proposed by SpaceX. It was a very large, partially or fully reusable vehicle family designed to carry large payloads (about 300 tonnes to low Earth orbit under a reusability criterion) and is recorded as an abandoned project in the Starship development history. ## Key Facts - The Interplanetary Transport System (short name: ITS) is a reusable space launch and spacecraft system proposed by SpaceX. - ITS is classified as a vehicle family and an abandoned project and is a subclass of reusable launch vehicle (a class of launch vehicle designed to be partially or fully reused). - Manufacturer: SpaceX. - Gross vehicle mass: 10,500 tonne. - Height: 122 metres. - Diameter: 12 metres. - Payload capacity: 300 tonne to low Earth orbit (qualification: criterion used = reusability). - ITS replaced the Mars Colonial Transporter design and was later replaced by the Big Falcon Rocket. - Country of origin: United States. - Visual/media: image at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Interplanetary_Transport_System_(29937258496).jpg and size comparison diagram at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/SpaceX_Interplanetary_Transport_System,_Size_Comparison.svg. ## FAQs ### Q: What was the Interplanetary Transport System? A: ITS was a reusable space launch and spacecraft system proposed by SpaceX, intended as a very large launch vehicle family for high-capacity missions and recorded as an abandoned project in the Starship development history. ### Q: Could the ITS carry crew or cargo, and how much? A: The ITS was specified with a payload capacity of about 300 tonnes to low Earth orbit, using a reusability-based performance criterion; the source material lists payload mass but does not specify crew configuration. ### Q: Is ITS still the active SpaceX design? A: No. ITS is recorded as an abandoned project and was replaced in SpaceX planning by the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) concept as part of the ongoing Starship development history. ### Q: Who built the ITS and where was it from? A: ITS was proposed and manufactured by SpaceX and originated in the United States. ## Why It Matters The Interplanetary Transport System mattered because it represented a major step in conceptually scaling reusable launch systems to unprecedented sizes and payload capacities. With a gross mass of 10,500 tonnes, a height of 122 metres, a 12-metre diameter, and a design payload of roughly 300 tonnes to low Earth orbit under a reusability criterion, ITS embodied ambitions to move far larger masses off Earth affordably through reuse. Its role in the Starship development history links early large-scale SpaceX concepts (including successor concepts like the Big Falcon Rocket) and earlier ideas such as the Mars Colonial Transporter. Even as an abandoned project, ITS influenced the design lineage and public understanding of how very large reusable vehicle families might be configured for high-capacity or interplanetary missions. Its scale and stated performance figures remain a reference point in discussions about future heavy-lift reusable launchers. ## Notable For - Extremely large vehicle parameters: documented gross mass of 10,500 tonnes, height 122 metres, and diameter 12 metres. - High specified payload capability: 300 tonnes to low Earth orbit under a reusability performance criterion. - Part of SpaceX’s public design lineage: ITS followed the Mars Colonial Transporter concept and was later superseded by the Big Falcon Rocket concept within Starship development history. - Classification as both a vehicle family and an abandoned project, marking it as a major conceptual stage rather than an operational system. ## Body ### Overview - Name: Interplanetary Transport System (ITS). - Short name / alias: ITS; Japanese: インタープラネタリー・トランスポート・システム; Chinese: 行星际运输系统. - Described as a reusable space launch and spacecraft system proposed by SpaceX. - Listed in the Starship development history as an earlier design stage. ### Specifications - Gross mass: 10,500 tonne. - Height: 122 metres. - Diameter: 12 metres. - Payload mass: 300 tonne to low Earth orbit. The payload figure is qualified with "low Earth orbit" and the criterion used is "reusability". - Instance of: vehicle family; also recorded as an abandoned project. - Subclass of: reusable launch vehicle (a class of space launch vehicles designed to be partially or fully reused). ### Development and lineage - ITS replaced an earlier SpaceX concept called the Mars Colonial Transporter. - ITS was later replaced in SpaceX planning by the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) concept. - ITS is part of the documented Starship development history, indicating its role as a predecessor concept in that design evolution. ### Organization and origin - Manufacturer / proposer: SpaceX. - Country of origin: United States. - Public and media identifiers: Wikipedia title "Interplanetary Transport System"; commons category "Interplanetary Transport System"; Google Knowledge Graph ID /g/11c1szycyn; fandom article id starship-spacex:Interplanetary_Transport_System_(ITS). ### Visuals and public materials - Official/common image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Interplanetary_Transport_System_(29937258496).jpg - Size comparison diagram: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/SpaceX_Interplanetary_Transport_System,_Size_Comparison.svg ### Classification and status - Classified as both a vehicle family concept and an abandoned project in source records. - Sitelink count in the provided dataset: 16. - Language coverage on Wikipedia (selected): Arabic, Catalan, Commons, Czech, German, English, Spanish, Finnish, French, Japanese. (End of entry.)