I guess a good first payload would be a fuel factory.
It might happen that Superheavy and Starship simply aren't big enough to do that job. As we know, rockets efficiency increases the bigger they get.
"You're gonna need a bigger boat"
It might happen that Superheavy and Starship simply aren't big enough to do that job. As we know, rockets efficiency increases the bigger they get.
"You're gonna need a bigger boat"
Of course O2 is most of the propellant mass so you get some benefit from ISRU even if you have to ship in H2 or CH4 from Earth. Contrast that to the Mars situation where DAC of CO2 is easy though we don’t know where and how deep you’ll have to dig for H2O… but it is there.
Note if we send the Starship on a one-way trip we can send a much bigger payload and break it down for parts. At the very least a fuel factory and other bottom-of-pyramid manufacturing systems will need storage tanks. If it really takes 22 launches to land a Starship on Earth the reuse fraction will be very very good.