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SpaceX Readies Starship for Second Test Flight Amid FAA Review · Elon Musk Podcast

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  Hi everybody, and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast.
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  Today we're going to be talking about the SpaceX Starship I FT-2
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  launch that'll be happening from Boca Chica Starbase, Texas.
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  We'll discuss the meticulous preparations of SpaceX has
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  undertaken, the implications of the FA A's ongoing review
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  following Starship's first Test flight, and what we can expect
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  from this highly anticipated second launch attempt.
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  But before we jump into the heart of the matter, a quick
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  note. The Elon Musk Podcast is made
• 0:29
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• 0:33
  By joining the club at joinclubelon.com you help us
• 0:37
  keep the show on the air every single day.
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  Now this Tuesday was a crucial day for SpaceX as a Starship
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  rocket was stacked atop its super heavy booster in South
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  Texas, marking the beginning of the final preparations for its
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  second launch. Now, this occasion led to SpaceX
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  founder Elon Musk to post on X or Twitter that Starship is
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  ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval and the mention
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  of the FAA. The Federal Aviation
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  Administration is noteworthy. The agency is still engaged in
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  reviewing documents and data from Spacex's first attempt to
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  launch Starship in April of 2023.
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  That initial flight concluded about 90 seconds after liftoff
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  due to engine difficulties and other problems with the booster.
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  Now, as part of their ongoing evaluation, the FEA is looking
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  into several aspects of this incident, such as the
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  environmental impact at the launch site and the delayed
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  activation of the Rockets flight termination system.
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  And in response to these setbacks, SpaceX generated a
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  quote mishap investigation report and submitted it to the
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  FAA. The FAA in turn will highlight
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  the corrective measures SpaceX must implement prior to its
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  second test flight. The objective is to ensure the
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  safety of not only property but also humans and wildlife in the
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  vicinity of the South Texas launch site, which is close to
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  both wetlands and the Gulf of Mexico.
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  Now when probed for an update on this regulatory scrutiny and FAA
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  spokesperson suggested that additional information could be
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  forthcoming. In fact, on Wednesday at 6:00 PM
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  Eastern, the FAA issued a statement indicating the SpaceX
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  Starship mishap investigation remains open.
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  We clarified that they won't authorize another Starship
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  launch until SpaceX enacts the identified corrective actions
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  and complies with all license modification prerequisites.
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  Now, beyond the regulatory stuff, it's worth noting the
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  SpaceX has been incredibly busy with preparations at the
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  Starbase launch site. They've worked diligently to
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  upgrade the ground systems in the rocket itself.
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  For the second launch attempt. In the first flight, the absence
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  of a sound suppression system caused significant structural
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  damage, notably sending fragments of concrete from the
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  launchpad, scattering across the vicinity of the Starbase
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  location. And in order to mitigate this
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  issue, SpaceX has constructed and tested a new water deluge
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  and flame deflector system located under the Starship
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  launch mount. Now, the SpaceX engineering team
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  has also been occupied with enhancing the interstage area
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  between the first stage rocket and the upper stage Starship
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  vehicle, now referred to as a hot staging ring, and the aim is
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  to enable the Starship upper stage engines to ignite even
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  before the Super heavy first stage finishes its burn.
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  Although this is an intricate operation, a successful
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  execution could significantly boost the mass to orbit
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  performance of this launch vehicle.
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  And in preparation for the upcoming test flight, SpaceX has
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  carried out two hot fire tests of the Booster 9 rocket and also
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  ran tests on the Starship upper stage Ship 25.
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  And both sets of hardware have mainly passed these trials and
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  the next test flight, unlike commercial missions, will not
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  carry any payloads or people. And the objective is to test the
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  performance of the 33 Raptor rocket engines in the booster
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  along with stage separation and the ignition of Starship 6
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  engines. And should the flight proceed as
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  planned, Starship will complete almost 3/4 of an orbit around
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  Earth before making a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean north of
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  Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Now while the exact flight path
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  might still be under wraps pending FAA approval and other
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  regulatory checks, the anticipated trajectory does give
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  us plenty to talk about. Starship, once launched, aims to
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  achieve a series of milestones that not only demonstrate the
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  feasibility of the technology, but also provide invaluable data
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  for future, more complex missions.
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  The first part of the flight involves the ignition of Super
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  heavy 33 Raptor rocket engines. These engines are expected to
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  generate a massive amount of thrust, propelling the vehicle
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  through Earth's atmosphere. It's crucial for all these
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  engines to operate in synchronization, not just for
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  liftoff but also as the vehicle ascends.
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  The Super Heavy booster is the real workhorse here, designed to
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  lift the entire rocket assembly until it reaches a designated
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  altitude where stage separation occurs.
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  Now upon reaching this altitude, a highly crucial part of the
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  mission takes place. The stage separation is where
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  the Super Heavy detaches from the Starship upper stage and at
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  this point the upper stage, which has its own set of 6
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  Raptor engines, ignites to continue the journey into space.
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  Now this stage aims to carry Starship almost 3/4 of an orbit
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  around Earth is a complex dance, the physics and engineering
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  requiring precise timing and flawless execution from both
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  hardware and software systems on board.
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  And one of the most innovative features expected to be tested
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  is the hot staging ring, designed to facilitate the
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  seamless transition between the Super heavy booster and the
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  Starship upper stage. And the hot staging ring would
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  theoretically enable the upper stage engines to ignite even
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  before super heavy has completed its burn and separated.
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  This complicated maneuver of successfully executed would
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  revolutionize the mass to orbit performance metrics, allowing
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  heavier payloads to be carried to space with greater
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  efficiency. And after completing nearly 75%
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  of US orbit, the plan is for Starship to descend into the
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  Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
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  This segment of the mission is equally critical because it
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  involves reentry into the atmosphere which subjects the
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  spacecraft to extreme temperatures and stresses.
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  A Starships heat shield and other protective measures will
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  be put to the test here, essentially proving whether the
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  vehicle is capable of enduring the harsh conditions it would
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  face in an actual mission beyond Earth to orbit.
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  Now let's talk about a Super Heavy booster.
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  After separation, the design philosophy behind Super Heavy
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  focuses on reusability. Post separation, Super Heavy
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  will execute a controlled descent burn back to Earth in
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  The booster aims to land vertically as a designated
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  platform, a maneuver that SpaceX has perfected with its Falcon 9
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  rockets. And achieving this with a Super
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  Heavy booster would be another monumental milestone considering
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  its enormous size and complexity.
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  The booster is about 250 feet tall now.
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  By studying each segment of the flight path in extreme detail,
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  SpaceX aims to gather a treasure trove of data that would inform
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  future missions, be a lunar landings, Marcus Expeditions, or
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  even more ambitious yet to be announced adventures into the
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  cosmos. And every piece of information,
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  from engine performance and stage separation to reentry
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  dynamics and splashdown is a puzzle piece in the grand scheme
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  of the Starship. Thank you for joining us today
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  on this episode of the Elon Musk podcast.
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  If you enjoyed what you heard, please make sure to hit the
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  follow or subscribe button on your preferred podcast platform.
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  It's free, only takes a second, but it shows you won't miss out
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  on future episodes about Starship, SpaceX or anything
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  Elon Musk. And remember that this podcast
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  over to join the club elon.com and become a member.
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  And until next time, take care of yourselves and each other,
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  and I'll see you in the next one.