CEO Elon Musk casually announced the change on Twitter, as he is wont to do. The BFR is now known as Starship, but it’s not as simple as it sounds at first.
Previously, the naming scheme for the rocket was more complex than widely understood. The portion of the rocket that would operate in space was actually called the Big Falcon Spaceship (BFS).
Together with the booster portion that helped it escape Earth’s gravity, it was the Big Falcon Rocket.
According to Musk, Starship will refer to the upper stage that operates in space (and could carry people).
The rocket booster portion is just called “Super Heavy.” Musk also stresses that Super Heavy won’t be necessary for Starship to lift off from other planets and moons with less gravity than Earth.
Renaming the BFR to Starship seems a bit grandiose for a vehicle that will not be traveling to any other stars. Although, the always bombastic Musk noted in a follow-up tweet that future versions of the Starship would go to other stars. Sure, Elon.