BFS

BFS - 'Big Falcon Spaceship' (also colloquially known as the Big F*****g Spaceship)

The BFS is the top half of the BFR that will be resopicable for passengers and cargo as well as in space propulsion and landing capability.

Crewed version with 40 cabins capable of transporting 100 people to Mars

The BFS will be refueled once in low orbit space (LEO) using one to five Tanker versions of the BFR.

BFS orbital refueling

BFS Testing

SpaceX are on record confirming that Short hopper style tests of the BFS are due in late 2019.

This is based on the work done using the Grasshopper F9R Dev testing for the Falcon 9 in 2012/13 where the launch of the BFS will launch and land flying progressively higher at each attempt.

All the important designs for the BFS have been achieved with no show stoppers including the work on the new Raptor Engines and optimism at SpaceX is very high for the testing to begin successfully in 2019.

Test location Speculation

Speculatively Omelek Island could be used for BFS testing in 2019/21 (currently there is no evidence to back this possibility) as the BFS can be shipped directly from the Port of LA 'BFS prototyping production facility'. The other likely location for BFS testing is Boca Chica Beach in South Texas by shipping via the Panama Canal, there has also been speculation of McGregor Texas but that would have severe road transportation problems.

Another less likely testing possibility is based on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship(ASDS) currently used to land Falcon 1st Stages, although BFS accuracy will be greater and able to land on a landing mount, the shear size of transporting the BFS back to shore would make this possibility less attractive to build a ship required for initial testing. It would likely need to refuel the BFS in the Ocean and also the ship will need to survive the launch of the BFS for the hop back to land.