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SpaceX Starship poised for Valentines day flight · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast.
• 0:05
  This is a show. Where we?
• 0:06
  Discuss. The critical crossroads, The
• 0:08
  shape SpaceX. Tesla X, The Boring Company, and
• 0:12
  Neuralink and I'm your host Will Walden If you want uninterrupted
• 0:17
  episodes of the Elon Musk podcast, please go to
• 0:20
  clubelon.supercast.com to find out how, there's a link in the
• 0:26
  show notes. February may be a pivotal moment
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  for the SpaceX Starship with preparations underwear for this
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  underway for the Starship Systems third test flight
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  potentially launching from Texas in the coming month.
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  Now the successful conduct of the second test flight in
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  November of 2023, which left the launch of the structure
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  unscathed. His field expectations for an
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  expedited timeline for the forthcoming Integrated Flight
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  Test, or IFT 3, in the development that underscores the
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  growing anticipation within the aerospace community.
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  A report by Christian Davenport in the Washington Post says that
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  the Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA may be
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  on the cusp of granting a launch license for IFT 3 for Starship,
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  possibly in mid February. This period is notable because
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  it's congested with a series of significant space missions
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  marking a critical phase in US space endeavors.
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  Now the Starship Spacex's towering ambition is an
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  engineering feat, nearly 400 feet tall, composed of two
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  rockets, each capable of independent launch.
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  And the recent focus has been on testing the full stack powered
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  by the massive super heavy booster.
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  Although initial tests included the 2nd stages, independent
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  vertical takeoffs and landings. Now today's news cycle has been
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  dominated by Starship, the new reports highlighting the
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  Pentagon's outgoing interest in leveraging the Starship for its
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  diverse missions. Spacex's vision for Starship
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  extends to commercial aviation, which plans to use the second
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  stage for rapid passenger transport across the globe.
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  Now adding to the daily significant announcements,
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  Airbus has selected Starship for the ambitious task of launching
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  a space station in a single mission, which is key for SpaceX
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  and Starship because they've unmatched capabilities in the
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  current aerospace sector. They're the biggest rocket, most
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  powerful and can take the. Biggest payloads.
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  The largest payloads, the heaviest payloads to low Earth
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  orbit. But you know, the cadence of the
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  Starship test is driven by Spacex's obligations under
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  multibillion dollar contracts with NASA.
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  The 2024 testing campaign is set to prioritize the management of
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  cryogenic fuels in space, which is a critical component for the
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  success of extended missions for the Artemis program for NASA.
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  Now, an update from Christian Davenport VNX Post indicates
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  that the FA as approval for the Starship launch could arrive by
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  February 14th now. This timeline aligns with
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  Spacex's own projections and follows extensive upgrades to
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  the Texas launch site. Now, the inaugural Starship test
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  nearly about a year ago in April of 2023 was a partial success.
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  The rocket ascended and approached the second stage
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  point despite multiple failures of the engines.
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  However, the failed separation led to the vehicle's
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  destruction, which shows that the Starship isn't quite ready
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  to go fully orbital yet, and after the initial test inflicted
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  damage to the launchpad, SpaceX undertook significant upgrades
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  and secured necessary clearances, paving the way for a
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  successful execution of IFT 2. This test marked a notable
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  improvement with both steps performing the rules, Florida
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  State a crucial step towards operational readiness.
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  Now, the upcoming tests carry immense weight, as reaching
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  orbit with a second stage remains A crucial milestone for
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  SpaceX. And achieving this goal is
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  essential for the commencement of operational flights, which
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  will support significant payloads, including Starlink
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  satellites and NASA missions. Now the space community.
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  While we're watching this the progress of Starship on a daily
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  basis, it's a critical threshold in the annals of space
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  exploration. Its success could redefine the
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  parameters of space travel, opening new frontiers for
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  scientific research, commercial ventures and also interplanetary
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  journeys for robots and also humans.
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  Now, the FAA's forthcoming decision on the IFT launch
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  license represents more than a procedural hurdle, though.
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  It is a decisive factor that could either advance Spacex's
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  agenda or necessitate for the refinements the agency's
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  comprehensive review process. It ensures that such pioneering
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  endeavors adhere to the highest safety and environmental
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  standards. Now the Pentagon, they sustained
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  engagement with Spacex's Starship, and it's with
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  strategic significance of Spacex's advancements.
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  The military's interest suggests a range of potential
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  applications, from rapid global transport to the deployment of
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  critical payloads in support of National Defense.
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  The international collaboration with Airbus shows that SpaceX
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  can do things across the globe. They're entrusting Starship with
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  the launch of their space station.
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  Airbus is placing a significant bet on Spacex's promise to
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  revolutionize space launch capabilities, further weaving
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  commercial partnerships into the fabric of space exploration.
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  Let's go back to the management of cryogenic fuels in space,
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  what we talked about a little bit earlier about SpaceX doing
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  this for the I FT3 mission. It's a formidable challenge, one
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  that SpaceX is determined to tackle this upcoming tests.
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  Estering this aspect is crucial for the viability of long
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  duration missions. As SpaceX prepares for IFT 3
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  now, we're going to see if it's going to be a transformative
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  event, if they can hit all of their milestones, if they can
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  launch separate, do a kickback burn for the booster and send
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  the ship on its trajectory towards Hawaii.
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  They have two obligations here. One is to do in in orbit
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  transfer protocol and the other is a possible Starlink door
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  opening. So they're going to test some of
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  the systems for Starlink and also transfer fuel in space,
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  which is a huge deal. And there's broader implications
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  for this too. The future of humanity's
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  engagement with space is at stake.
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  A successful test could catalyze the paradigm shift in space
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  exploration, positioning Starship as a cornerstone of a
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  new epoch in human connectivity and discovery in our solar
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  system. Hey, thank you so much for
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  listening today. I really do appreciate your
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  support. If you could take a second and
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  hit the subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast
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  platform that you're listening on right now, I'd greatly
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  appreciate it. It helps out the show
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  tremendously and you'll never miss an episode.
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  And each. Episode is about 10 minutes or
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  less to get you caught up quickly.
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  And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
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  to patreon.com/stage Zero and please take care of yourselves
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  and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.