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SpaceX Starship Gets FCC Go Ahead · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast.
• 0:02
  I'm your host, Will Walden, and today we're going to be talking
• 0:05
  about something that's absolutely at this forefront of
• 0:08
  space exploration. SpaceX is Starship rocket and
• 0:11
  the preparations for its next orbital flight.
• 0:14
  Now, some of you may already be aware that SpaceX is waiting for
• 0:18
  the Fish and Wildlife Service, the FWS, to give them the green
• 0:22
  light for the next launchpad. Now, simultaneously, the company
• 0:25
  has filed an application with the FCC for communication
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  permissions during the upcoming Starship test flight, expected
• 0:32
  to commence this coming January. Possibly now, these bureaucratic
• 0:37
  steps are routine for SpaceX, but what's really intriguing
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  here are the technological leaps, including several
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  upgrades this next test is slated to showcase.
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  So in today's episode, we'll be talking you through the
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  specifics of the imminent Starship test flight, including
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  major changes to the Rockets design and how these upgrades
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  aim to help this behemoth, the largest and most powerful rocket
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  to date, reach orbit successfully.
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  Now the stakes couldn't be higher.
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  Starship is expected to be the vessel that helps humanity set
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  foot on Mars and return to our nearest neighbor, the moon.
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  Now, first on the list of big modification is something that's
• 1:15
  an engineering marvel, the concept of hot staging.
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  Traditionally, rockets execute a stage separation by halting the
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  main engines on the booster and before the second stage even
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  fires up. And however, SpaceX plans to
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  keep Starships engines ignited while it's still essentially
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  attached to the booster, which we refer to as the Super Heavy.
• 1:37
  Now, a former SpaceX mission director speculates this will
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  give the rocket a payload increase of about 10%, and to
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  facilitate this, SpaceX has integrated vents and heavy duty
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  heat Shields at the top of the Super heavy booster.
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  This ensures that the flames can escape, preventing the rocket
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  from blowing up mid flight. The method is a bit riskier
• 2:01
  since the booster could potentially be damaged, but
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  sometimes risk is synonymous with advancement.
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  Now let's pivot for a moment to talk about another angle of the
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  upcoming Starship test, the focus nature of the FCC
• 2:13
  application that SpaceX recently filed.
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  Unlike other filings, this one is narrower in scope,
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  specifically seeking approval for communication channels
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  between the Starship booster and the launch site.
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  The absence of other elements like the full Starship vehicle
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  in the application raises some interesting questions.
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  Could this suggest a series of test runs focusing predominantly
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  on the booster and the paperwork could hint at SpaceX adopting a
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  step by step approach, perhaps focusing initial tests at the
• 2:46
  first stage before proceeding to comprehensive trials involving
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  the entire rocket system. This would allow SpaceX to
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  ensure that each component of this complex machine is in top
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  shape before the actual orbital flight takes place.
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  Now, the third major change we're discussing today is the
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  engines. As we all know, the Raptor
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  engine is fundamentally more complex than the Merlin engines
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  that power the Falcon 9. This complexity makes the engine
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  more susceptible to leaks and therefore SpaceX has taken
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  significant steps to improve the valves and seals on the Raptor
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  engines and have seeing the fire suppression systems to manage
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  any potential accidents and make them more efficient.
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  Now, with 33 Raptor engines powering the first stage
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  booster, we're talking about an incredible level of engineering
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  intricacy. The effort to ensure each of
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  these engines operates optimally is crucial not just for the
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  success of the mission, but also for the long term goals that
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  Starship aims to achieve, including the colonization of
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  Mars and renewed lunar missions with the Artemis program with
• 3:53
  NASA, let's talk about the visual spectacle this Starship
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  presents. It's not just the world's
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  largest rocket, but also the one with the most engines on a first
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  stage booster. When these 33 engines light up
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  for a flight again, it's a sight to behold, unrivaled by any
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  current or in development rockets.
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  Additionally, a hot staging ring will be added to the top of the
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  first stage booster, ensuring the stage separation is a
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  success, and this will address the primary failure point of the
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  last Test in April. And with these numerous
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  upgrades, we're clearly marching toward a future where space
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  travel isn't just a feat of engineering, but also a
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  mesmerizing spectacle. The 2nd Starship test flight
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  promises not just to correct past mistakes, but to push the
• 4:39
  envelope on what is possible in rocket design and engineering.
• 4:44
  Now that wraps up today's episode of the Elon Musk
• 4:46
  Podcast. Thanks for tuning in to catch up
• 4:48
  on the latest about SpaceX and the next Starship orbital test
• 4:51
  flight. If you found this episode
• 4:53
  informative, don't forget to hit the subscriber follow button on
• 4:56
  your favorite podcast platform. It's free and it just takes a
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  second, so please take care of yourselves and each other and
• 5:03
  I'll see you in the next one.