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SpaceX Starship Possibly Postponed to Next Year · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Hi everybody and welcome back to the show.
• 0:04
  The inaugural flight of the SpaceX Starship took off from
• 0:07
  Boca Chica, Texas on April 20th of 2023, and although the launch
• 0:13
  achieved some basic milestones, it didn't go off without a
• 0:16
  hitch. There was a significant damage
• 0:18
  to the launch mount and debris was scattered across a
• 0:21
  considerable area, prompting a joint investigation by SpaceX
• 0:25
  and the FAA. The result?
• 0:28
  63 corrective actions for SpaceX to implement, with the most
• 0:32
  notable one being a new water deluge system to mitigate the
• 0:36
  immense force generated by Starships 33 Raptor engines.
• 0:41
  Now, the water deluge system is essentially a massive sprinkler
• 0:44
  system that douses the launchpad with water to absorb some of the
• 0:47
  energy during liftoff. It's not a new concept in
• 0:50
  rocketry, and NASA has been using it for decades.
• 0:53
  However, the scale of which SpaceX is implementing it for
• 0:56
  the Starship Raptor engines is what makes it special.
• 0:59
  The system is part of Spacex's broader strategy to not only
• 1:02
  correct past mistakes, but to innovate and set new standards
• 1:06
  for the future of space travel. However, before this new system
• 1:10
  and other corrected actions can be fully operational, there's a
• 1:14
  regulatory hoop to jump through the US Fish and Wildlife
• 1:18
  Service. The agency has flagged the need
• 1:20
  for an environmental review, covering not just the
• 1:23
  engineering aspects but also the potential impact on the local
• 1:26
  ecosystems, particularly endangered species.
• 1:30
  This throws a spanner in the works for Spacex's tight
• 1:32
  timelines for the next Starship launch.
• 1:35
  It's a dance between technological advances and
• 1:37
  Environmental Conservation, making the road ahead for SpaceX
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  a bit more challenging than what was initially thought.
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  Now, before SpaceX can go ahead and test its new implemented
• 1:49
  improvements, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is stepping in
• 1:52
  to evaluate these upgrades, especially the water deluge
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  system. And according to a Fish and
• 1:58
  Wildlife Service e-mail to Bloomberg, the entire review
• 2:01
  process could span between one to four months, with SpaceX
• 2:06
  eager to relaunch the Starship next month.
• 2:09
  This adds a new layer of uncertainty to the venture
• 2:11
  schedule. Now, Aubrey Busek, a public
• 2:14
  affairs specialist at the FWS, stated that after reviewing the
• 2:18
  Fe A's final biological assessment, the FWS could take
• 2:23
  up to 135 days to go through the corrective measures.
• 2:30
  Now, the review from the FWS is not a short affair.
• 2:34
  They can stretch anywhere from a month to almost half a year in
• 2:37
  the outcome. Well, if the Fish and Wildlife
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  Service takes the full 135 days for the review, Spacex's dream
• 2:45
  of launching Starship again this year could be entirely derailed.
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  This is particularly unsettling because SpaceX has already moved
• 2:52
  ahead with its corrective measures, assuming they get the
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  green light from the FAA soon. But here's the catch.
• 2:58
  The FWS hasn't even started the formal review of these
• 3:02
  corrective measures yet, which could add a significant amount
• 3:04
  of time to an already delayed timeline.
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  So what's next for SpaceX? The FAA still needs to be
• 3:11
  satisfied with the 63 corrective measures, and if they aren't, a
• 3:15
  whole new set of discussions will begin.
• 3:17
  Then, of course, the FWS must issue their final biological
• 3:21
  assessment, which may or may not result in additional
• 3:24
  requirements for SpaceX. And in the end, it's a game of
• 3:27
  weight and watch, and SpaceX finds itself stuck between the
• 3:31
  Gears of regulatory checks in its own ambitions.
• 3:34
  And the FA A's role doesn't end in just taking off a checklist.
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  They must also evaluate whether the changes SpaceX has made it
• 3:42
  after the April 20th launch would require a more thorough
• 3:46
  review, and they'd licensed the SpaceX used for the first
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  Starship. Orbital launch was tailored
• 3:50
  specifically for that one mission, and since the upcoming
• 3:54
  flight would involve modification, there's a big
• 3:56
  question mark on whether the previous environmental
• 3:58
  assessment still holds up. If it doesn't, that could set
• 4:02
  off another round of comprehensive evaluations,
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  further delaying the launch. Now the FAA and SpaceX have what
• 4:09
  Kelvin Coleman, FAA administrator for commercial
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  space transportation, describes as a generally positive working
• 4:16
  relationship. And according to Coleman, of the
• 4:19
  63 corrective actions listed in the mishap report, 27 are linked
• 4:23
  to public safety. These specific actions will need
• 4:26
  to be closed out and verified before any future operations.
• 4:30
  All these factors come together to make the FA A's role pivotal
• 4:33
  in Spacex's journey, serving both as a gatekeeper and a
• 4:37
  guiding force, helping the company navigate the labyrinth
• 4:40
  of rules, regulations, and standards that stand between
• 4:44
  them and their next giant leap for mankind.
• 4:47
  The FAA, for its part, still hasn't provided SpaceX with the
• 4:50
  necessary approvals for the subsequent flight, though.
• 4:53
  If the FAA finds that its previous environmental
• 4:56
  assessment is no longer relevant due to the recent changes, a
• 4:59
  more indepth review could be necessary, and the FAA expects
• 5:04
  to complete its safety review by the end of October.
• 5:06
  But this doesn't guarantee SpaceX in immediate go ahead.
• 5:10
  The agency's approval hinges in part on how quickly the FWS
• 5:14
  completes its environmental review, and if the FWS decides
• 5:18
  to fully utilize its 135 day review period, there's a chance
• 5:23
  Starships next flight may not happen this year.
• 5:26
  This would have a cascading effect on Spacex's other mission
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  timelines and could make stakeholders antsy.
• 5:32
  For example, a delay in Starship's next launch could
• 5:35
  impact its role in NASA's Artemis lunar Lander variant,
• 5:38
  among other missions. Now SpaceX is navigating this
• 5:42
  web of environmental and regulatory scrutiny as it aims
• 5:45
  to achieve its next big milestone with Starship.
• 5:48
  This highlights the multidimensional challenges that
• 5:51
  come with pioneering work in the space sector, from engineering
• 5:54
  fees to environmental stewardship.
• 5:56
  It's not just about reaching the stars, but doing so responsibly.
• 6:00
  Thank you so much for tuning into the podcast today.
• 6:03
  If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to hit the
• 6:05
  subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast platform
• 6:08
  you're on right now. It's free, takes a second, and
• 6:11
  until next time, keep your eyes on the stars, your feet on the
• 6:15
  ground. Please take care of yourselves
• 6:16
  and each other, and I will see you in the next one.