Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / SpaceX has some competition: A Closer Look at ULA's Pioneering Vulcan Centaur Rocket
Transcript
- 0:06Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast as always,
- 0:09I'm your host will Walden today. We've got an electrifying
- 0:11episode that will take you straight to the cosmos.
- 0:14We're taking a deep dive into one of the latest triumphs in
- 0:17space Tech, the successful hot-fire test of the Vulcan
- 0:20Centaur. The Next Generation rocket by
- 0:23United launch Alliance in this journey, will explore the Myriad
- 0:27of challenges, triumphs and the unwavering Dedication that is
- 0:30Repelled, the Vulcan Center project forward will delve into
- 0:33the details of the recent hot fire test, a crucial Milestone,
- 0:36that has set the stage for this Stellar Vehicles First Flight
- 0:40potentially, slated for July of this year.
- 0:42We'll also talk about the impressive partnership between
- 0:45Ula and blue origin. The role they're set to play in
- 0:48Amazon's ambitious project Kuiper and the key industry
- 0:52players involved and in true Star, Trek Session will also
- 0:56talk about how the Vulcan centaurs maiden voyage will
- 0:59transport Ashes of the iconic series Creator Gene Roddenberry
- 1:04and actor. James Doohan better known as
- 1:07Scotty from Star Trek now from engine production challenges to
- 1:12the burgeoning prospects of space cargo delivery for our
- 1:15discussion today will capture the spirit of human
- 1:18determination and the Relentless pursuit of exploration and
- 1:21advancement. The groundbreaking Vulcan
- 1:23Centaur, the latest addition to the United launch Alliance
- 1:26family of rockets is on the brink of its maiden voyage.
- 1:29The culmination of years of design manufacturing and
- 1:32rigorous testing this magnificent, craft stands about
- 1:36202 feet tall and it's going to define the future of space
- 1:41exploration for the Ula. I was the sunset over the Cape
- 1:45Canaveral space force station in Florida on June 7th, the Vulcan
- 1:49Centaur achieved, a pivotal Milestone successfully executing
- 1:53a critical engine test. The first of its kind for this
- 1:56pioneering machine in the world of rocketry.
- 1:58Countdowns are It's filled with anticipation and nail-biting
- 2:02suspense. The magic started at T-minus
- 2:06four point eight, eight seconds. The engines start sequence
- 2:09initiated as Vulcan centaurs to main stage engines, roared the
- 2:14life on the launch pad, What followed was a burst of power
- 2:17lasting two seconds where the engines reach their intended,
- 2:20thrust level and then gradually wound down this.
- 2:23Crucial flight Readiness, fire test as brief as it was
- 2:27significant encompassed. A span of just six seconds
- 2:31powered by Vulcan centaurs. Inaugural stage are to be e 4
- 2:36engines, the brainchild of blue origin while a centaur 5 upper
- 2:40stage is propelled by a pair of rl10 engines.
- 2:44The versatility of the spacecraft is great.
- 2:47The design also allows for the addition of up to six strap-on,
- 2:51solid rocket boosters augmenting, its launch
- 2:54capabilities. Even further when fully
- 2:57operational the Vulcan sent our promises to deliver a payload,
- 3:00Of up to seven metric tons to a geostationary orbit far above
- 3:04the Earth. Although its maiden voyage has
- 3:06yet to occur, you LA's efforts are inching closer to changing
- 3:10that as evidenced by the recent successful.
- 3:13F RF, test an official announcement.
- 3:16Following the test, you will a Express it there.
- 3:18Vulcan qualification program is on the cusp of completion
- 3:22standing at a staggering 98 percent complete they noted that
- 3:26the remaining aspects under review are linked to the final
- 3:29testing of The Centaur five. However, as with any Venture,
- 3:33the journey has not been devoid of setbacks the update mention a
- 3:37setback to happen on March 29th, when an unfortunate hydrogen
- 3:41leak to assent are exploding on the test stand at NASA's
- 3:45Marshall, space flight center in Alabama.
- 3:47And prior to this incident, as early May schedule, have been
- 3:50planned for the debut Lodge of the, Vulcan Centaur, Ula
- 3:53engineers and technicians of Thoroughly reviewing the data
- 3:56from the F RF test systems working in Now conducting an
- 4:00in-depth investigation at the center, five tests and anomaly.
- 4:04They are optimistic that the results will pave the way for
- 4:07robust, launch plan and Shirin Vulcan Centaur, safe and
- 4:10successful launch. The inaugural mission of the
- 4:12Vulcan Center is said to carry the Peregrine lunar lander
- 4:16developed by the Pittsburgh based company astrobotic.
- 4:19If everything goes right, Ula officials suggest that the
- 4:22launch could take place as early as the summer.
- 4:25Although no specific timeline has been announced yet the
- 4:29Vulcan centaur Journey towards its Maiden launch has been
- 4:32marked with instances of postponed tests.
- 4:35The frf initially scheduled for May 25th was delayed due to a
- 4:38technical issue with the booster discovered during the countdown
- 4:42following. This, the Vulcan Centaur has
- 4:44relocated to its vertical integrated launch facility
- 4:47hanger for detailed inspection and Analysis.
- 4:50The rectification seem to have paid off considering the
- 4:53successful outcome of the reschedule test and designed as
- 4:56the successor to Ula is celebrated Atlas 5 + For launch
- 5:00Vehicles, the Vulcan Centaur carries the weight of high
- 5:03expectations despite hurdles such as engine delivery, delays
- 5:08from Blue origin slowdowns do a covid-19 and internal
- 5:13manufacturing hurdles at Ula. The Centaur project has pressed
- 5:17forward, it is determined to make it to space.
- 5:21A significant step in the development of Vulcan Center was
- 5:25the successful hat. Fire test and June 7th 2023.
- 5:28A procedure. Often filled with tension, the
- 5:31hot-fire test involved. Lighting up the be4 engines at
- 5:34the Rockets base. This occasion was met with
- 5:37gratification from the Ula team, marking a rewarding culmination
- 5:41of years of dedication and hard work.
- 5:44Mark Peller Ula as vice president of Vulcan development.
- 5:48Expressed thrill following the successful test, they said
- 5:51seeing the hardware function, the engines firing and all the
- 5:54systems working together was terribly exciting.
- 5:58Their hard work. Did not One noticed Jeff Bezos.
- 6:01CEO of blue origin congratulated the Ula team on their
- 6:05successful. How fire test highlighting the
- 6:07strong ties with in the space Community, despite its success.
- 6:11The F RF test wasn't without its share of challenges two weeks.
- 6:15Prior, it was postponed when the team noticed a delayed response
- 6:18from the booster engine ignition system, used to power up the
- 6:21engines in unfazed by the setback.
- 6:24Ula move the rocket back to its vertical integration facility at
- 6:27Cape Canaveral to understand and Fix the issue.
- 6:31The Vulcans sent are currently awaiting launch.
- 6:33At space launch complex 41 is set to take Center Stage for the
- 6:37certification One mission, its first-ever flight, Ula CEO.
- 6:42Tory Bruno is hinted that the launch won't occur until at
- 6:45least July the launch hinges on, not just the success of the F RF
- 6:49test. But also, the conclusion of an
- 6:52ongoing investigation relating to the destructive incident
- 6:55March, which saw a fireball cause damage to a test article.
- 6:59The center stage in you always test and at NASA's Marshall
- 7:03space flight center in Alabama. Now the Vulcan Center's first
- 7:07payload will be the astrobotic Paragon.
- 7:09Lunar lander marking the commencement of NASA's
- 7:11commercial lunar. Payload Services missions to the
- 7:14Moon. Additionally the maiden flight
- 7:16will carry the first two of Amazon's planned project.
- 7:19Kuiper satellites along with these, the Vulcan sent are.
- 7:23What carry the ashes of over. 150 people including Star Trek
- 7:27Creator. Gene Roddenberry.
- 7:29And actor, James Doohan known for his portrayal of Scotty on
- 7:34the iconic series, although Ula hasn't executed any rocket
- 7:38launches in 2023 yet. It's anticipated to play a
- 7:41pivotal role in the coming years.
- 7:44Ula blue origin in area. Space have been contracted by
- 7:47Amazon to launch up to 83 missions as part of its project
- 7:51called hyper, consolation, by 2028 Ula will be responsible for
- 7:56launching more than half of the plant. 36 internet Satellites
- 8:01with Vulcan said to have 38 of those in addition to 9 Atlas 5
- 8:06launches. However, for the Vulcan Centaur
- 8:09to take its rightful place amongst the Stars a few final
- 8:12obstacles. Must be overcome blue origin.
- 8:15Must ramp up the production of the be4 engines.
- 8:18For the one-time use Rockets which are also required for its
- 8:22new, Glenn rockets, and each Vulcan will utilize to be four
- 8:26engines while the upper stage will employ two arrows.
- 8:29Jet Rocketdyne, rl10 see engines similar to the ones used on an
- 8:34atlas 5. Did you know, we have a YouTube
- 8:37channel called space news, pod where we cover SpaceX, NASA and
- 8:42space flight. If you're interested in any of
- 8:44those topics please take a second and go to youtube.com
- 8:47slash Aunt. Space news pod to check us out
- 8:51because we update almost every single day and you can join us
- 8:53for a cool live streams where we cover space flight.
- 8:57And also the latest topics from A sex.
- 9:00So please go over to YouTube, youtube.com slash, and space
- 9:03news pod. Thanks for listening to the show
- 9:06today. If you liked this episode,
- 9:08please take a second and hit the Subscribe button for more Elon
- 9:11Musk news every single day. So thank you for that.
- 9:14And also please take care of yourselves and each other and
- 9:18I'll see you in the next one.