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SpaceX Reveals New Starship Launch Date! · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  All data for SpaceX Starship Flight 9 points to a launch
• 0:03
  window opening on May 19th. Now, the US Coast Guard has
• 0:07
  issued a marine warning for that date, with the window stretching
• 0:10
  from 6:00 PM to 8:34 PM Central Time backup dates running
• 0:16
  through the end of the month. Now, the FAA has also released
• 0:20
  new airspace warnings, expanding the risk zones to cover areas
• 0:25
  near Cuba and also the Bahamas. This is the first time that
• 0:28
  those regions have been included in Starship's No TAMS, which
• 0:32
  shows just how far the vehicle's trajectory and the potential
• 0:36
  debris fields have extended as the program matures.
• 0:42
  Now, the run up for Flight 9 has not been without setbacks,
• 0:45
  though. On May 6th, Ship 35 static fire
• 0:48
  test ended with an explosion near the engine section, forcing
• 0:51
  SpaceX to swap out a Raptor engine and also conduct further
• 0:55
  inspections of the vehicle. It was a possible methane feed
• 0:59
  line issue or a combustion instability issue.
• 1:02
  Now, the FAA will have to review and approve the repairs before
• 1:06
  the final launch green light is given, so there's a real
• 1:09
  possibility the date could slip deeper into May if more issues
• 1:13
  arise. Now, on the hardware front,
• 1:16
  Flight 9 is packed with upgrades.
• 1:18
  Booster 14 is making its second trip to the pad, and this time
• 1:22
  it's loaded with 29 Raptor engines that have already flown
• 1:25
  at least once before. That's the highest number of
• 1:28
  reused engines ever put on a Super Heavy booster, and three
• 1:32
  of them are actually on their third flight.
• 1:36
  SpaceX has reinforced the engine gibbles to reduce vibration and
• 1:40
  overhauled the methane phenolines to address pressure
• 1:43
  fluctuations that have caused problems in the past.
• 1:47
  Now the hot staging ring, which is critical for separating the
• 1:50
  booster from the upper stage, has been redesigned with fewer
• 1:53
  vent holes and better alignment with the grid fins so the fins
• 1:57
  are better protected from the blast during separation.
• 2:00
  Ship 35 brings its own set of challenges though.
• 2:03
  It's a Block 2 Starship, which means it features smaller nose
• 2:07
  mounted flaps for better control during re entry and also less
• 2:11
  heat exposure. The heat shield tiles are a
• 2:13
  third generation design with a new mounting system and improved
• 2:17
  gap fillers to keep them from popping off during the most
• 2:21
  intense parts of flight. And the avionics have also been
• 2:24
  upgraded, with three independent flight computers now cross
• 2:29
  checking data in real time. This is the first time the
• 2:32
  Starship is flying with Tripoli redundant avionics, and it's a
• 2:36
  big step toward the kind of fault tolerance needed for
• 2:40
  future crude missions. The ground systems at Starbase
• 2:45
  have also changed a lot since the last flight.
• 2:48
  Pad B's orbital launch mount is now fully operational, marking a
• 2:51
  shift to a dual pad setup that should eventually allow for more
• 2:56
  frequent launches. The water deluge system has been
• 2:59
  extended to protect the lower half of the launch tower from
• 3:02
  the full force of 33 Raptor engines firing all at once, and
• 3:07
  the cryogenic tank farm has also been upgraded, which means
• 3:10
  propellant can be loaded faster and with less waste.
• 3:13
  One of the best changes for Flight 9 is the decision not to
• 3:17
  attempt the tower catch for Booster 14.
• 3:19
  Instead, the booster will perform a controlled splashdown
• 3:23
  in the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 miles offshore.
• 3:26
  Now this is a strategic move. By skipping the complicated
• 3:30
  tower catch, SpaceX can focus on collecting clean data about the
• 3:35
  boosters flight and landing behavior without the added risk
• 3:39
  of variables and ground based recovery.
• 3:41
  It also frees up resources to focus on the upper stage, where
• 3:45
  persistent issues with re entry, tile loss, and engine reflight
• 3:50
  failures have demanded more attention.
• 3:53
  Now Ship 35 is expected to follow a trajectory that will
• 3:57
  take it to a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
• 4:00
  And now that's after testing its upgraded heat shield and
• 4:03
  attempting a Vacuum Raptor engine relight.
• 4:06
  Now, that engine relight is a crucial move for future missions
• 4:10
  that will require orbital refueling or complex return
• 4:14
  paths. And the last few weeks have also
• 4:16
  brought some regulatory and weather challenges to Starbase.
• 4:20
  The expanded FAA risk zones are a sign that SpaceX is being
• 4:25
  extra cautious, especially with the new flight path and the
• 4:28
  inclusion of international waters near Cuba and also the
• 4:32
  Bahamas. Early season tropical weather in
• 4:36
  the Gulf could also play a role, potentially narrowing the
• 4:39
  available launch window if conditions change.
• 4:42
  If SpaceX can prove that reused engines, advanced avionics, and
• 4:45
  improve heat Shields work as intended on this flight, they
• 4:49
  will be much closer to making the dream of hundreds of flights
• 4:53
  per year into a reality. If you like this kind of
• 4:56
  content, please hit the subscribe button.
• 4:58
  Also like this video? Leave a comment down below too.
• 5:00
  I want to know what you think about this.
• 5:02
  Do you think Flight 9 will be a success?
• 5:04
  Will the ship explode again? I don't know.
• 5:07
  Let me know what you think down in the comments so we can have a
• 5:10
  talk. Thanks for coming and checking
• 5:12
  out the show today. Everybody take care of
• 5:14
  yourselves and each other. I'll see you in the next one.