Various sources state that the first Death Star has a diameter of between 140 and 160 kilometers. There is a broader range of figures for the second Death Star's diameter, ranging from 160 to 900 kilometers.

The construction of the first Death Star continued for several years above Geonosis in utmost secrecy, under Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin's supervision. The Empire utilized construction modules operated by Wookiee slave laborers and various other species to complete the project.

In order for the Death Star to be a deadly threat, it needed to be mobile. Using linked banks of 123 hyperdrive field generators tied into a single navigational matrix, the Death Star could travel across the galaxy at superluminal velocities.

Colin Cantwell, Star Wars designer behind the X-Wing and Death Star, dies aged 90. Colin Cantwell, the man who designed the spacecraft in the Star Wars films, has died at the age of 90.

the second Death Star The Empire constructed the first Death Star in secret for nearly two decades before using it to destroy Alderaan; the second Death Star boasted a more powerful superlaser, with improved targeting sensors and power regulators.

Starkiller. If you're cataloguing weapons more powerful than the Death Star, then Starkiller Base has to make the cut. This is the superweapon first seen in Force Awakens, and it takes the Death Star concept to the next level.

Essentially, the Empire was able to build the second Death Star so quickly because they'd already built one before. Furthermore, Darth Sidious expedited the construction of the second Death Star so that it was functional far sooner than the first.

The Death Star took 20 years to build, and was destroyed in a single day. Star Wars tie-ins have explained just why the super-weapon was so flawed. Star Wars has fully explained why the Death Star took 20 years to make.

Emperor Palpatine intended the Death Star to be almost invincible, but he had not factored in Galen Erso's sabotage. Erso deliberately introduced an instability in the Death Star's reactor core, and tricked the Empire into building thermal exhaust ports that would become tempting targets for the Rebel Alliance.

The Death Star's superlaser was powered by a hypermatter reactor, which would generate the destructive reaction that was then focused through eight giant kyber crystals. Once the reaction was focused through the crystals, eight smaller lasers would spout from the focusing lens of the Death Star.

That's the origins of the Death Star as we know it - from an artist named John Burkey whose painting of a mechanical planet inspired the aesthetic of the Death Star and the eventual models made by designer Colin Cantwell.

In the original Star Wars movie, the Death Star has the appearance of a “small moon.” The size of this Imperial superweapon isn't specifically mentioned, but the technical specifications list its diameter as about 120 kilometers.