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SpaceX Starship Launch Postponed · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Hi, everybody, and welcome back to the show this week.
• 0:03
  It's Starship Week here, so we're going to be talking about
• 0:06
  Starship today. This is a quick update episode,
• 0:09
  because things change rapidly with Starship every single day.
• 0:14
  I'm your host, Will Walden, and in today's episode, we're
• 0:17
  examining Spacex's upcoming Starship test launch.
• 0:20
  After the April explosion of its first Test flight.
• 0:23
  SpaceX is now ready for another attempt.
• 0:25
  Originally scheduled for Friday, the launch has been postponed to
• 0:29
  Saturday to replace a grid fin actuator.
• 0:32
  It's a part that moves the grid Fins at the top of the booster
• 0:36
  of a Starship system crucial for future moon and Mars missions,
• 0:39
  will have a launch window opening at 7 AMCT this Saturday.
• 0:44
  This test is critical for Spacex's ambitions to explore
• 0:47
  space, including its role in NASA's Artemis 3 moon mission,
• 0:52
  and could significantly influence the future of space
• 0:54
  travel. Now, the SpaceX Starship System
• 0:57
  represents a huge leap in space tech.
• 1:00
  Standing at about 400 feet tall, it's the most powerful launch
• 1:04
  vehicle ever built, and the system consists of two main
• 1:07
  parts, the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster
• 1:10
  combined. It's called the Starship Super
• 1:12
  Heavy, and this upcoming launch is particularly important as it
• 1:16
  follows a previous launch attempt in April, which ended in
• 1:19
  an explosion. And the success of this test
• 1:21
  flight is not just vital for SpaceX but also for NASA as the
• 1:25
  Starship is poised to play a pivotal role in the Artemis 3
• 1:28
  Moon mission. Now the outcome of this launch
• 1:30
  could heavily influence the timeline and the success of the
• 1:34
  United States lunar exploration goals.
• 1:37
  In preparation for this launch, SpaceX has made numerous
• 1:40
  enhancements to both the Starship spacecraft and the
• 1:42
  Super Heavy booster, and after the failure of the first Test
• 1:45
  flight, the company has implemented thousands of
• 1:47
  upgrades. These include changes to the
• 1:49
  launchpad now equipped with the water deluge system to mitigate
• 1:52
  the force of the boosters, engines, and modifications to
• 1:55
  the method of separation between the Starship and the Super heavy
• 1:59
  booster. And despite these improvements,
• 2:01
  Spacex's CEO Elon Musk has set cautious expectations for the
• 2:05
  test, estimating only a 50% probability of reaching orbital
• 2:09
  velocity. And Spacex's ambition for
• 2:12
  Starship go beyond just this test flight.
• 2:15
  The company envisions the Starship as a key vehicle for
• 2:17
  human exploration and eventual settlement of Mars, and the test
• 2:21
  flight success is also crucial for Artemis, with NASA's hopes
• 2:25
  to return astronauts to the moon in 2025 or maybe 2026.
• 2:31
  And delays and failures not only impact SpaceX but also NASA's
• 2:35
  timelines, with potential implications for the space race
• 2:38
  against nations like China and Russia.
• 2:41
  Moreover, Spacex's approach to rocket development,
• 2:44
  characterized by rapid iterations and learning from
• 2:46
  failures, sets a unique pace in the industry and also with
• 2:50
  regulatory bodies. And the launch has also been
• 2:54
  mired in regulatory and environmental challenges.
• 2:57
  SpaceX had to navigate through regulatory hurdles with the FAA
• 3:01
  following the April explosion. And while SpaceX criticizes
• 3:04
  these regulations for delaying progress, environmentalists
• 3:08
  argue that the FAA hasn't done enough to prevent damage to
• 3:11
  surrounding public lands and wildlife refuges.
• 3:14
  Now this tension highlights the complex balance between
• 3:17
  technical advancements and regulatory oversight and also
• 3:22
  Environmental Conservation in the space industry.
• 3:25
  And SpaceX was cleared by the FAA and the Fish and Wildlife
• 3:29
  Service to launch the Starship Super Heavy without a hitch.
• 3:33
  They passed all the tests. Now, this launch has significant
• 3:37
  international and also commercial implications.
• 3:41
  The success of the Starship could reinforce that the United
• 3:43
  States positioned in the new space race, particularly against
• 3:46
  China. It also underscores the
• 3:48
  increasing role of private companies like SpaceX, once a
• 3:51
  domain dominated by national space agencies like NASA.
• 3:55
  The outcome of this launch could therefore shape not only
• 3:57
  Spacex's future, but also the broader dynamics of
• 4:01
  International Space exploration and commercial Space Flight.
• 4:05
  Now looking ahead, the success of this launch could pave the
• 4:07
  way for more advanced Starship missions, including satellite
• 4:10
  delivery and in orbit refueling capabilities.
• 4:13
  These advancements are essential for deep space missions such as
• 4:17
  to Mars and also interplanetary travel.
• 4:20
  However, a failure could lead to further delays and re
• 4:24
  evaluations, impacting both SpaceX and NASA's future plans.
• 4:27
  The stakes are high and we are watching this launch closely and
• 4:32
  I think it's going to be successful.
• 4:34
  I'm going to give it. Elon gave it a 50% chance.
• 4:36
  I'm going to give it a 70% chance it'll reach orbital
• 4:40
  velocity, and once it does, I give it 100% chance to land off
• 4:45
  the coast of Hawaii near Kauai in a naval graveyard.
• 4:51
  That's where it's going to do a belly smacker into the Pacific
• 4:53
  Ocean. It's going to be an exciting
• 4:56
  ride now. Thank you so much for tuning
• 4:58
  into the show today. Remember to hit the subscriber
• 5:00
  the follow button on your podcast platform of choice to
• 5:03
  stay updated on our discussions about SpaceX, Tesla X, Boring
• 5:06
  Company and also Neurolink. It's free, only takes a second,
• 5:10
  and each show is crafted to be about 10 minutes or under,
• 5:14
  helping you quickly catch up on the latest in Elon Musk's world
• 5:17
  of innovation. Now please take care of
• 5:19
  yourselves and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.