Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / Next Starship flight could be very soon.

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Next Starship flight could be very soon. · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Hi everybody, and welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
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  This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, the
• 0:06
  Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink
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  and everything. Elon Musk, I'm your host, Will
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  Walden. Today, we're focusing on a
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  significant development in SpaceX, the recent test flight
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  of Starship, which unfortunately ended in an explosion.
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  And this event is crucial not only for SpaceX, but also for
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  NASA's Artemis program, which relies on the Starship for
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  future lunar Artemis missions. This is specifically Artemis 3
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  now. The test flight on Saturday
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  showed both progress and challenges for SpaceX.
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  The spacecraft reached an altitude of 93 miles, a
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  significant improvement from its last flight.
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  However, the flight concluded with the explosion of the
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  Starship, raising questions and triggering an FAA investigation.
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  SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remains optimistic, though, anticipating
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  A readiness for the next flight. In just a few weeks and this
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  episode, we'll explore the details of the flight.
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  The spacecraft, which is designed to be a pivotal part of
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  NASA's lunar missions, encountered a severe mishap as
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  both the Starship and the Super Heavy booster exploded.
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  Now this incident, following an earlier destructive test in
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  April, brings into focus the challenges that SpaceX faces in
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  developing this gigantic 400 foot tall.
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  It's basically a skyscraper that's going to space.
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  A SpaceX is proactive measures such as the installation of a
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  water suppression system to protect the launchpad,
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  indicating significant technical improvements.
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  And it actually worked. The flight's initial success,
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  with all 33 Raptor engines igniting correctly in the
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  spacecraft reaching space marked a notable advancement from
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  previous attempts. However, the explosion that
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  followed raises critical safety and technical questions for
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  SpaceX and the FAA. Now the industry experts and
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  former FAA officials suggest situation is more promising.
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  Despite this massive explosion over the ocean, the improved
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  performance could lead to a quicker review process by the
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  FAA, essential for Spacex's timeline.
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  With the Artemis 3 mission now, George Kneeled, former head of
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  the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, emphasized
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  the importance of learning from these tests to enhance public
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  safety and spacecraft reliability, and the FAA's role
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  is critical in this process. As SpaceX submits its report on
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  the failure and proposed changes for future flights, the FAA must
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  balance rapid development that SpaceX is noteworthy for with
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  stringent safety and environmental regulations.
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  This process reflects the growing pressures on the agency
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  amidst the burgeoning commercial space industry.
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  Should they move forward and move fast like SpaceX does, or
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  should they stick with their old ways?
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  Only time will tell. Spacex's resilience and
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  adaptability have been evident in its history of overcoming
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  challenges. The company's experience,
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  notably the recovery after losing a Falcon 9 rocket in
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  2015, demonstrate its capability to quickly address these issues
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  and return back to flight to a normal cadence and actually
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  build up the cadence and the speed of these flights and the
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  turn around. And this capability will be
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  crucial as SpaceX aims to define the Starship system for
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  reliability and space travel. Now for NASA, the stakes are
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  very high. The Artemis program's success
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  heavily depends on the starship's development.
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  With an investment of $4 billion, NASA envisions using
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  the Starship for lunar landings, a mission not undertaken since
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  the Apollo mission over 50 years ago.
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  However, the timeline targeting a lunar landing by astronauts
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  and 2025 or 2026 hinges on Starship's performance and the
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  reliability of the booster and the ship, which includes its
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  unprecedented need for in orbit refueling, something that's
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  never been done before in a rocket this size Now.
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  Spacex's latest test, despite its explosive conclusion, marks
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  a step forward, not backwards, in its bold journey to space.
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  The flight's initial successes, contrasted by the subsequent
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  failures, under score these challenges.
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  The Pioneers of SpaceX and the Starship continue to push with
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  now with the FAA's oversight and Spacex's determination.
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  The path forward is a blend of testing, innovation, and also
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  regulatory navigation, and the tension between Spacex's
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  fast-paced innovation and the government's regulatory
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  framework is likely to persist for a while.
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  Spacex's expectations for efficient approval processes
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  often clash with the inherently cautious and procedural nature
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  of government agencies. This dynamic will be crucial in
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  shaping the pace and direction of future Starship tests and by
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  extension, the progress of human space exploration.
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  Now this is a little side note. SpaceX is only allowed to do 5
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  launches from Starbase, Texas at this time, and if they can
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  squeeze in another test by the end of this year, by the end of
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  December, they will have successfully launched 3 times
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  from Boca Chica Starbase, Texas in one year.
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  If they slip to January, that flight goes into the next 5 for
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  next year. Now, if they do complete those
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  five tests successfully, if they even successfully complete I
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  probably two or three of them, the FAA may allow them to do
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  more flights from Starbase, Texas.
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  And the implications of these developments?
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  They're going beyond SpaceX and NASA.
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  The commercial space sector, which is poised to benefit from
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  Starship's potential to lower launch cost significantly, is
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  watching as SpaceX succeeds in these launches.
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  And the success of Starship isn't just about reaching the
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  Karman line and getting into space.
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  It's also about reshaping the economics and the accessibility
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  of space travel for NASA and normal people like you and me.
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  Eventually, space tourism will become a thing and SpaceX will
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  be on the forefront of that technology.
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  And as SpaceX prepares for the I FT3 launch and as SpaceX
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  prepares for the I FT3 launch will be here every single step
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  of the way. So thank you so much for
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  listening today, and thank you for becoming a member of the
• 6:38
  show. And remember every episode's
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  about 10 minutes or under to help you quickly get caught up
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  with the latest in SpaceX, Tesla, and Elon Musk's other
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  ventures. If you enjoy this episode,
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  listen to our back catalog. We have a ton of episodes for
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  you to listen to. Thanks again for listening.
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  Take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.