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SpaceX's makes history on 100 Launch Goal for 2023 · Elon Musk Podcast

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  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
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  This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, The
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  Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink,
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  and I'm your host, Will Walden. SpaceX has been trying to get to
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  100 Falcon launches for 2023, and as the year draws to a
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  close, the company has impressively surpassed its
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  previous annual record of 60 launches, having completed 90
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  Falcon 9 in 4 Falcon Heavy missions.
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  With plans for three more launches before year end,
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  including a Falcon Heavy and two Falcon Nines, SpaceX is poised
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  to end the year with 97 Falcon launches, including its Starship
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  endeavors, which face challenges.
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  Post launch, the total count reaches 99 launches in one year.
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  Now, since its first Falcon launch in 2010, SpaceX has
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  dramatically transformed the Space Flight industry.
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  The primary aim has always been to develop a reusable
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  spaceflight system capable of returning the 41.2m tall
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  boosters safely back down to Earth.
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  Now this innovation was realized in 2015 with their first
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  successful booster landing, and today SpaceX frequently and
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  successfully lands its Falcon rockets, significantly cutting
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  down costs and democratizing access to space.
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  Now, recent Falcon 9 mission marked a new milestone, landing
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  a first stage booster with a record 19th time.
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  This achievement under score Spacex's mastery over reusable
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  technology, which has been pivotal in offering competitive
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  launch rates. Now this is open opportunities
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  for numerous entities to dispatch small satellites into
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  orbit. Now Spacex's last mission
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  involved launching a satellite for the German Intelligence
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  service from Vandenberg Space for Space in California.
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  This mission, along with others planned before the year's end,
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  highlights Spacex's global service range in its growing
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  list of international clients. And as 2023 has been a landmark
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  year for SpaceX, the company is already looking forward to 2024.
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  With a rapidly filled launch calendar and a shift in focus to
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  the Starship rocket, SpaceX is going to be even more intense
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  with their launch schedule in the coming year.
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  A recent Falcon Night launch on December 24th was particularly
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  notable though, carrying the Serra 2 mission to low Earth
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  orbit in this launch, initially planned for December 23rd, was
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  rescheduled to allow for extra preflight checks.
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  The Sarah 2 mission deployed 2 synthetic aperture radar
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  reconnaissance satellites for the German military, continuing
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  the replacement of the older SAAR loop constellation.
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  Now Sarah 2, Sarah Three as reflector antenna satellites
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  will work in formation with Sarah One enhancing the
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  constellation resolution capabilities, and this mission
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  emphasizes SpaceX role in contributing to global satellite
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  infrastructure and their launches for clients around the
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  globe. Now Falcon 9 used in the Sara 2
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  mission marked its eighth launch and landing, demonstrating the
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  reliability and the reusability in Spacex's tech.
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  Now the successful deployment of Sara Two and Sara 3 into orbit
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  further highlights that Falcon Nine can do the job.
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  And 2023 has been a very relentless year for Spacex's
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  activity with 94 orbit emissions 2 Starship test flights.
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  Although the Starship test didn't reach orbit, they
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  represent significant movement for the Starship program down at
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  Boca Chica Starbase, Texas. Now the year 2023 was
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  extraordinary for activity, with SpaceX their dominant and they
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  had 94 orbit emissions. This tally not only includes the
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  deployment of satellites and supply mission, but also
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  encompasses significant advances in their projects.
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  Additionally, the year saw two test flights of the Starship
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  rocket. Although they didn't quite reach
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  orbit, they are huge steps forward for the company's
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  journey towards more advanced space exploration technologies
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  and a fully reusable launch system.
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  Now, the diverse range of Spacex's missions in 2023
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  highlights the company's expanding reach and innovation
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  in the space sector. From launching satellites for
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  global communications and reconnaissance to conducting
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  resupply missions to the International Space Station,
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  Spacex's portfolio has been increasingly varied and complex.
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  These missions not only demonstrate the versatility and
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  reliability of Spacex's launch vehicles, but also their role in
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  enabling a wide array of space activities, the company's
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  ability to consistently meet the demands of different clients,
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  including governmental, commercial and scientific
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  entities. It shows that they are growing
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  influence and they will continue to dominate the spaceflight
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  industry. Now, the two Starship test
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  flights that conducted in 2023, though not quite reaching orbit,
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  were crucial in gauging the capabilities and challenges of
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  this next generation spacecraft. These tests were pivotal in
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  advancing the design and functionality of Starship, a
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  vehicle central to Spacex's long term vision for interplanetary
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  travel and for humans to live and work on Mars now, the test
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  provided valuable data and insights essential for refining
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  the design and engineering of the spacecraft.
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  And despite the challenges and setbacks, these steps are
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  significant in Spacex's journey to perfecting a spacecraft that
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  could revolutionize space travel, underlining the
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  company's commitment to innovation and willingness to
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  tackle the complexities with this cutting edge space
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  technology. Now the calendar year is set to
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  conclude with more SpaceX missions though, including a
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  Falcon Heavy launch carrying the US Space Forces X37B space
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  plane. This is scheduled for December
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  28th, and this is a role for national defend.
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  The overall pace of space launches in 2023 has been
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  unprecedented, with a record of 200 successful orbital flights
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  for not just SpaceX, but their competitors too.
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  This surge, though, has been largely driven by SpaceX, and
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  SpaceX has not only achieved a record number of launches in
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  2023, but also played a crucial role in shaping the new space
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  race. From deploying thousands of
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  Starlink satellites to conducting crude missions,
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  SpaceX has been at the forefront of both commercial and
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  exploratory space endeavors. Now the Starship, though,
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  despite the volatility, has been pivotal in this new journey for
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  SpaceX. They have the Falcon Heavy, they
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  have the Falcon 9:00, but they need something a little bit
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  bigger to get them to Mars And these upcoming test flights of
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  the Starship for 2024. The early months of 2024 will be
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  absolutely crucial for SpaceX and the Starship program going
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  forward, and the Artemis program for NASA too.
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  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
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  I really do appreciate your support.
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  miss an episode. And each episode is about 10
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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.