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SpaceX to take on the US Government · Elon Musk Podcast

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Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast, where we
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discuss all things Elon Musk, SpaceX, Tesla, and the future of
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tech. I'm your host, William Walden.
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In today's episode, we're zooming in on a burning issue,
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the tension between SpaceX and the US government, especially
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the FAA. SpaceX has had an explosive
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year, launching rockets at a staggering rate and turning the
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space industry on its head. However, the government seems to
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be playing catch up, struggling to issue licenses and regulate
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this game changing activity. Is this regulatory lag hampering
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Spacex's ambition and by extension, the future of
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American space exploration? Now let's kick things off by
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talking about Spacex's flight rates.
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It's been launching rockets more than 70 times this year, about
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once every four days, which is shaking the foundations of the
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Space Flight industry. SpaceX is clearly operating at
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warp speed, but there's a hiccup.
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The government seems to be lagging.
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Spacex's vice president of build and reliability expressed his
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concerns and plans to voice them at a Senate hearing this week.
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The goal is to press Congress to simplify regulations and hire
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more Federal Aviation Administration staff for license
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issuance. Now here's the kicker.
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SpaceX is not just concerned about the speed, but also the
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volume. With other industry players
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stepping in, they anticipate a specific and significant
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industry problem. The government's slow pace might
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be a choke point, preventing the private sector from soaring to
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new heights and launching more frequently.
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It's not just SpaceX this could impact the entire Space Flight
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industry. Now consider the case for
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Spacex's inaugural Starship flight last April.
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It had to be terminated due to uncontrolled tumbling, resulting
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in an FAA investigation. And the FAA demanded 63
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corrective actions for SpaceX, delaying further Starship
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launches, a tug of war between private innovation and public
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regulation. And that's kind of how it
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worked. For now, SpaceX officials have
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reported that they spent two years securing the initial
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Starship launch license. It had been waiting months for
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the second Tim Hughes, who's Spacex's senior vice president
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for global business and government affairs, mentioned
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this. SpaceX is eager to fly, but is
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waiting for the government to catch up.
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According to Hughes, if a company can build a rocket
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faster than it can be regulated, something is going on.
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Hughes suggested the need for regulatory reforms to address
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this imbalance. Now this brings us to another
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salient point, NASA's involvement.
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In 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to use
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Starship for its Artemis program, and given the national
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importance, SpaceX officials argue that such projects should
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be prioritized by the FAA. One would expect such a venture
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to be fast track Now. It's no secret that Elon Musk
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has been critical of regulators now specifically targeting the
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FAA for its slow pace. In late 2020, SpaceX launched A
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Starship prototype in violation of its FAA license.
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Musk made his opinions clear through his tweets, stating that
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the FAA's existing rules are not suited for an industry.
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It's so drastically different from what it was just a decade
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ago. Recent interactions between Musk
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and the senior FAA officials were described as cordial and
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productive, yet the FAA is yet to comment on the matter.
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They have, however, mentioned the keeping up with the industry
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is a challenge they're willing to rise to.
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Despite the bureaucracy, it seems like there's room for
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improvement and perhaps a middle ground where both parties can
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meet. And according to the FAA
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officials, the agency has been requesting additional resources
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for years but has seen little action.
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Currently, they've reallocated all resources from Spacex's
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other programs to focus on the next Starship launch.
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This means Falcon projects are on hold for the moment,
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showcasing the strain that the FAA is experiencing in keeping
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up now forecasting the future. The FAA license just 15 launches
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in 2015, and that number is expected to reach 288 by 2027.
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With SpaceX planning on as many as 12 launches a month next
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year, and new rockets from ULA and Blue Origin on the horizon,
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the demand for FAA oversight will only multiply over time.
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If not addressed now, the problem could spiral into
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something unmanageable now. SpaceX expressed that the
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current situation is jeopardizing not just to them,
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but also US leadership in spaceflight.
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The regulatory approach is clashing with the pace of
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innovation, putting a damper on the industry's future.
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However, he emphasized that the goal is not to compromise public
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safety, but to find a way to move efficiently within that
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framework. So where do we go from here?
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It's a balancing act. Striking harmony between
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innovation and regulation is the need of the hour.
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Let's hope that the upcoming Senate hearing sheds a little
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bit of light on this issue and paves the way for constructive
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solutions. That brings us to the end of
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today's episode. Thank you for tuning in, and if
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Until next time, please take care of yourselves and each
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other and I will see you in the next one.