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SpaceX Starship Test: A Step Forward Amidst Setbacks · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
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  This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, The
• 0:08
  Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink,
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  and I'm your host, Will Walden. So SpaceX had a recent Starship
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  System test and it marks an important, albeit very complex
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  point in its development journey.
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  Despite the loss of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship
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  spacecraft during the IFT 2 flight, SpaceX remains
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  optimistic, viewing the event as a valuable learning opportunity
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  for advancing its multi planetary ambitions.
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  Now SpaceX in a statement emphasizes the significance of
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  the test for gaining crucial data to enhance starships
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  reliability. This incident underscores the
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  challenges of SpaceX faces and perfecting the technology needed
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  for future space missions, including colonization of other
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  planets like Mars and beyond. Now the Starship system is not
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  only a key player in Spacex's grand vision for space travel,
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  but also a critical component in NASA's Artemis program.
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  This program aims to return US astronauts to the moon, a feat
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  not achieved in over 50 years or five decades.
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  And this one's different. They're going to establish
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  permanent lunar outpost, the Artemis 3 mission scheduled for
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  late 2025 but possibly being pushed on even further Plans to
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  utilize the Starship spacecraft and the recent test flight
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  failure has raised concerns about meeting this deadline,
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  although the NASA officials maintained an optimistic
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  outlook, valuing the lessons learned from each one of these
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  tests. IFT 1, IFT 2 and soon, probably
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  February of 2024 IFT 3. Let's go back to the second test
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  flight of the Starship. The system demonstrated
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  significant improvements over its first attempt.
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  The successful ignition of all 33 engine and the survival of
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  the launchpad against immense thrust are notable achievements.
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  However, this mission also faced critical failures that hindered
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  its full execution. Now the Super heavy booster is
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  unexpected explosion after detaching from the Starship and
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  the subsequent loss of signal from the Starship capsule
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  highlight key areas for improvement.
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  These events prevented SpaceX from testing vital landing and
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  reusability maneuvers. Now Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO,
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  has acknowledged the complexity of ensuring safe re entry and
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  landing for the Starship. This aspect remains one of the
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  most challenging hurdles in the vehicle's development.
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  Reusability is a cornerstone of all of Spacex's strategy, but
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  essentially the Starship system needs this in order to complete
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  the goal to get to the lunar surface.
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  Now successfully recovering and reusing both the Starship
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  spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster is crucial for frequent
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  and cost effective lunar missions.
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  The orbital refueling of Starship is also a critical step
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  for lunar missions. Given the immense fuel
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  consumption during loss, over a dozen tanker missions may be
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  required to refuel a single Starship for its lunar journey.
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  Just recently, in a talk with NASA, a SpaceX representative
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  said it would take about 10 refuels for the Starship and the
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  lunar mission. Now, achieving a moon landing
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  with Starship involves multiple development milestones,
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  including hundreds of satellite missions, tanker version
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  testing, and an uncrewed lunar landing.
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  Spacex's approach to edit this out, Spacex's approach to
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  development embraces the risk of explosive failures as a path to
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  rapid learning and also improvement of the Starship
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  system. Comparatively, NASA's
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  traditional development approach, characterized by
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  extensive ground testing, contrasts with Spacex's more
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  experimental and cost effective method.
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  The difference in approach reflects the varying priorities
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  and methodologies of government and now private sector space
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  exploration with SpaceX. Now, when the broader context of
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  lunar Landers, SpaceX Starship competes with Blue Origins Blue
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  Moon, another contender for future Artemis missions, each
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  company faces unique challenges in the respective designs and
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  strategies for Moon landings. Now, the current initiatives to
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  send humans back to the Moon through programs like Artemis
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  mark a shift from NASA's historic Apollo missions.
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  Unlike Apollo, which was primarily focused on achieving
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  the first lunar landing and established American dominance
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  in space during the Cold War, the Artemis program aims for a
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  sustainable and long term presence on the Moon.
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  This new era in lunar exploration is not about
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  repeating the past. What about laying the new
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  groundwork for future space endeavors, including potential
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  missions to Mars? And a key difference between the
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  Apollo program and current lunar missions is the emphasis on
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  sustainability and also reusability in space travel.
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  While Apollo missions were essentially one off ventures,
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  the Artemis program, with the help of technologies like
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  Spacex's Starship, seeks to establish a continuous human
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  presence on the Moon. This approach involves
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  developing infrastructure for repeated trips, permanent lunar
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  bases, and technologies that can be adapted for future Mars
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  missions, representing a significant advancement from the
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  Apollo era. Apollo basically sent humans to
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  the moon and brought them back to Earth.
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  We're going to set up an infrastructure for future
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  generations with the Artemis program, and the Artemis
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  missions also differ in their collaborative nature.
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  The Apollo program was a largely national effort, driven by the
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  geopolitical context of the 1960s, the Cold War, and in
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  contrast, Artemis is more international and commercial,
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  involving partnerships with various countries and also
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  various private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.
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  This collaborative approach not only spreads the financial
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  burden, but also brings together a diverse range of expertise in
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  technology, making the mission more robust and inclusive.
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  The technological advancement since the Apollo era also play a
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  critical role in shaping the Artemis missions.
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  Today's spacecraft, lunar Landers, and other space
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  technologies benefit from decades of innovation in
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  material science, computing, and engineering.
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  These advancements enable more ambitious missions, such as
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  establishing a permanent base on the Moon and eventually sending
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  humans to Mars, which were beyond the scope of the Apollo
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  program. The Artemis missions therefore
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  stand as an important milestone in the ongoing evolution of
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  space exploration. Now, looking ahead, SpaceX plans
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  to ready the Starship system for another test flight within
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  weeks, Should be about mid January, late January.
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  For this, however, the timeline is uncertain given the need for
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  a thorough analysis of the recent test data and regulatory
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  approvals from the FAA and the FA.
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  Involvement in investigating the recent test flight and its role
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  in approving future launches adds another layer of complexity
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  to Spacex's timeline. The duration of these regulatory
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  processes remains unclear. SpaceX is hoping to get FAA
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  clearance by February. Spacex's recent Starship test
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  represents a significant but mixed step in the journey
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  towards advanced space exploration.
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  The successes and setbacks of this test provide vital insights
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  for SpaceX as it continues to develop technology that could
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  shape our approach to exploring and inhabiting space from the
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  Moon to Mars and beyond. Hey, thank you so much for
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  listening today. I really do appreciate your
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  support. If you could take a second and
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  tremendously and you'll never miss an episode and each episode
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  And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
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  to patreon.com/stage Zero and please take care of yourselves
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  and each other. I'll see you tomorrow.