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SpaceX Starship could launch Nov. 6 - Coast Guard notice shows · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Hello everybody, welcome back to the show.
• 0:02
  In today's episode we're unpacking the recent updates on
• 0:05
  Space XS Starship, which has been in the spotlight for both
• 0:08
  technological advancements, huge rocket 400 plus feet tall and
• 0:15
  the most powerful rocket in the world.
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  And it's been in the spotlight lately for regulatory delays
• 0:22
  mainly and the testing that's been done within the last week.
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  Now, SpaceX has performed all necessary pre flight operations,
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  but this massive rocket still awaits crucial permits from
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  federal agencies. While many look to the skies
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  with eagerness, Starship is grounded and as the completion
• 0:39
  of the launch licensing process remains a pending affair.
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  SpaceX had its second test flight planned for Starship and
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  even completed a full wet dress rehearsal.
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  However, the company faces multiple regulatory hoops before
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  the rocket can break Earth's gravitational pull, and one of
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  the last major hurdles involves a review by the Federal Wildlife
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  Service, the FWS, in conjunction with the Federal Aviation
• 1:03
  Administration, the FAA. And this review is a detailed
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  examination of starships potential environmental impacts,
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  particularly focusing on the newly installed water deluge
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  system at the Boca Chico launch site in Texas.
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  Now earlier this year, a test flight faced severe issues
• 1:22
  ranging from damaged launch mounds to disruptions in local
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  wildlife and even uncontrolled fires.
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  And this led to a comprehensive investigation resulting in 63
• 1:31
  corrective actions proposed for SpaceX, all of which they
• 1:35
  claimed to have completed by September 10th.
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  Now the newly installed Water Dyard system, designed to
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  mitigate the Rockets immense force during liftoff, is under
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  close scrutiny by the FWS to confirm its compliance with
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  federal regulations, particularly the federal Clean
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  Water Act. Now the review by FWS is
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  mandated by the Endangered Species Act, which requires
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  reinitiating formal consultations for projects with
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  substantial modifications. And the Water Dillard system is
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  a substantial modification to the underbelly of the launch
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  system. That Starship goes out from now.
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  Given the serious nature of these regulations and the
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  sensitive ecosystem surrounding the Boca Chica region, this
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  review is a critical step before SpaceX can proceeds with its
• 2:21
  ambitious second launch of Starship, hopefully make it to
• 2:25
  orbit now. The FAA has its own history with
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  Space XS Starship. It concluded its own
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  investigation in September, but hasn't yet green lighted the
• 2:34
  second flight pending the FWS assessment.
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  And if the FAA feels that the modifications made by SpaceX
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  warrant re evaluation, we might be looking at even more
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  extensive regulatory review process now.
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  Last August, the FAA tried to kick start consultations by
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  providing a new biological assessment.
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  However, the Fish and Wildlife Service found this data
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  insufficient for a full review, prompting another submission in
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  early October. In this initiated the formal
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  consultation process which will decide the fate of the Starship
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  project. The FWS has until March 3rd of
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  2024 to offer its consultations at its conclusions, although it
• 3:13
  aims to wrap up the process by November 18th this year.
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  It seems that both regulatory bodies, while exercising due
• 3:21
  caution, have different opinions and priorities and timelines.
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  SpaceX recently faulted the FAA for being understaffed, claiming
• 3:30
  that this was a significant cause for the delays.
• 3:33
  And while this may be true to some extent, Spacex's own
• 3:36
  decision to move fast and break things has LED them into a
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  tangled web of regulations and reviews.
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  SpaceX is doing things outside of the normal regulatory system,
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  and they're doing things faster and harder than everybody else
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  in the industry. So the regulations, according to
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  SpaceX, have to catch up to them now.
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  The Coast Guard District 9. It's also issued a notice
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  suggesting that the next rocket launching operations are planned
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  for between 5:25 to 11:00 AM near Boca Chica Beach.
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  However, as we all know, such schedules are not set in stone
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  and can change at a moment's notice, especially considering
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  the FAA's approval and still pending.
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  And as of now, all eyes are on the calendar and the regulatory
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  boards. Despite these delay, SpaceX has
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  been quite proactive. Just Tuesday, the company
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  conducted a full wet dress rehearsal, fueling both the
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  Starship and the Super Heavy booster with more than £10
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  million of propellant, and the vehicle is said to be ready for
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  its second test flight, pending, of course, regulatory approval.
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  Now the upcoming tests are also set to receive support in the
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  form of imagery from one of NASA's WB 57 High Altitude
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  Research aircraft. And while regulatory boards
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  continue their assessment, SpaceX hasn't slowed down its
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  preparations for the 2nd test flight, signalling its
• 4:57
  confidence and eventually obtaining the required
• 5:00
  approvals. Now, for those keeping an eye on
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  potential launch states, it's important to manage your
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  expectations. Though given the layers of
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  regulation and multiple agencies involved, the exact launch
• 5:10
  window remains speculative. FAA spokesperson Steve Culm has
• 5:14
  expressed optimism about completing the safety review by
• 5:17
  the end of October, but this isn't quite confirmed yet.
• 5:21
  And SpaceX, despite the looming uncertainty, has continued with
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  its rigorous testing. Continuously testing.
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  At Star Basin, Texas, they recently showcased their new
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  dilute system, which has become a focus of environmental
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  concerns. The Fish and Wildlife Service is
• 5:35
  evaluating the system's environmental impact,
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  particularly concerning the endangered species residing in
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  the surrounding wetland habitats.
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  And the dilute system, which is essential for controlling heat,
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  noise, and force, raises a few environmental eyebrows.
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  Environmental advocates have questioned SpaceX is permitting
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  for the system under the Clean Water Act, as the water used is
• 5:56
  exposed to a range of contaminants, posing a risk to
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  sensitive habitats. And according to Texas
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  Commission of Environmental Quality, SpaceX currently holds
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  only a storm water permit for the site.
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  And the FWS in the Texas Park and Wildlife Department had both
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  engaged in clean up efforts following the previous test
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  flight, which had widespread effects, including a dust plume
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  that reached areas as far away as about 6.5 miles.
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  Spacex's journey to the second launch of the Starship It's been
• 6:24
  a little bit bumpy and the maiden flight in April not only
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  caused extensive damage to the launchpad, but also led to an
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  out of control tumble in a subsequent explosion over the
• 6:33
  Gulf of Mexico. So where does this leave SpaceX?
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  After all, this isn't just a run-of-the-mill tech startup,
• 6:39
  it's a company that has literally changed our
• 6:41
  relationship with space exploration.
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  However, with great power comes great responsibility and
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  understaffed FDA can be blamed for only so much.
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  At the end of the day, SpaceX chose to adhere to a philosophy
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  it's more Silicon Valley than Kennedy Space Center Move fast,
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  take risks, and sometimes pay the price.
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  But can you really afford to move fast and break things, when
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  what you're breaking could be fragile ecosystems or even
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  endanger human life? Now the fact remains that the
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  upcoming test flight of the Starship has been hamstrung in
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  part by Spacex's own missteps, and they found themselves
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  entangled in a web of regulatory review processes, corrective
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  actions that are partly the result of a precarious test
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  flight and environmental concerns.
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  And while they've claimed to complete 63 corrective actions
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  in partnership with the FAA, the ball is now in the court of the
• 7:28
  Fish and Wildlife Service, which is reviewing the environmental
• 7:31
  impact of Starbase's new deluge system.
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  Meanwhile, SpaceX has been fueling the Rockets and
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  performing flight like rehearsals.
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  They've clearly ready and eager to proceed.
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  But the regulatory apparatus is not something one can simply
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  wish away, especially when public safety and Environmental
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  Conservation are at stake. So as much as SpaceX might be
• 7:50
  feeling the itch to get Starship back in the sky, they must also
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  reckon with the consequences of their previous decisions.
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  Let's not forget, amid all these delays and regulatory issues,
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  SpaceX has created an on spying machine.
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  It's a huge star. SpaceX has created a gigantic
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  rocket, and Starship is the largest rocket ever built,
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  designed to take humans to Mars and beyond.
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  It's an astonishing technological feat, but the
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  grandeur of the technology must be balanced with its impact both
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  on the Earth and the sky. There's no room for kind of
• 8:22
  quarters with this when you're dealing with projects this
• 8:24
  large. Now, thank you so much for
• 8:26
  listening to the show today. Remember to hit the subscriber,
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• 8:39
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• 8:42
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• 8:46
  news. And until next time, please take
• 8:49
  care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you on the
• 8:52
  next one.