Elon Musk, the billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX, has
been making some pretty interesting moves lately.
So last year he bought Twitter for $44 billion in plans to turn
it into an Everything up, now rebranded as X.
But what's gotten crypto enthusiasts buzzing is his
ongoing involvement with Dogecoin, a meme based
cryptocurrency initially created as a joke, Musk has been putting
money into his development even as its value has plummeted by
90% from its peak. And before he purchased Twitter
or X as it's now known, Musk was toying with the idea of creating
a new blockchain based social media platform that would
feature a payment system using Dogecoin.
According to Walter Isaacson, the author of Musk's new
biography, this was a plan that was in the works.
While the exact scale of his investment at Dogecoin remains a
disclosed, Musk has previously mentioned that he would like to
see Dogecoin outperform Bitcoin and become the currency of
Earth. He said the currency of Earth.
And in July, Musk subtly added the dogecoin symbol to his
Twitter account, sending ripples through the crypto community.
Dogecoin, despite its turbulent journey, has managed to hold on
to some value with its network now worth around $9 billion.
And Musk's ambitions don't stop there.
Reports suggest that he's been discussing plans with Wall
Street execs to make X an updated version of PayPal.
Elan has been busy obtaining state money transmitting
licenses, which is a clear indication of his plans.
So how does this intertwine with Tesla?
Let's switch gears a little bit. Tesla has been fiddling around
with its pricing recently. Let's just say not everyone is
pleased about it, and after the latest round of price
reductions, Tesla owners took to X to vent their frustrations.
They felt betrayed by the sudden price cuts, with some having
purchased of Tesla's just days or weeks prior to these changes.
Customers who had purchased a Model S or Model X earlier in
this year, for example, were shocked to find the prices
slashed by up to $41,000. And to add fuel to that fire,
Tesla also reduced the cost of its full self driving software
from 15,000 to $12,000. Tweets and posts directed at
Musk expressed sentiments of betrayal and loss of brand
loyalty. Now calls for compensation
started to flood in with Tesla owners asking for things like
free Enhanced Autopilot upgrades to make up for the sudden
devaluation of the recently purchased vehicles.
And it's not just new customers who are feeling the pinch.
Even those who had planned on selling their used Teslas are in
for a rude awakening. The pricing debacle adds another
layer of complexity to Musk's existing commitments and
engagements. On one hand, he's shaping the
future of social media and potentially digital currency,
and on the other, he's got a customer base that's
increasingly disenchanted due to rapid and unannounced price
changes. So what is particularly
intriguing is how all these seemingly disparate ventures
interconnect in the larger scheme of Musk's vision.
Is the lowering of Tesla's pricing a strategic move to
divert capital towards its crypto endeavors, or X
development? Or is it merely an adjustment in
response to market forces? Is Musk spreading himself too
thin? Or is he, as always, three steps
ahead of everyone else? So how does one man juggle
running a car company, a space enterprise, neural tech firm,
social media platform and also dabble in cryptocurrency?
That's the enigma. That's Elon Musk, A complex web
of interests and investments. It continues to reshape how we
understand innovation and value. Now let's shift our focus from
Earth up into space. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft
with NASA astronaut Steven Bowen and Woody Hoberg along with UAE
astronaut and a Rusk Cosmo astronaut inside undocked from
the forward facing port of the International Space Station's
Harmony module is 7:05 Eastern Time.
On Sunday they completed a six month science mission.
The Endeavor spacecraft will splash down at approximately
12:17 AM Eastern Time on Monday, September 4th near Jacksonville
off the coast of Florida. Now, NASA's Crew 6 mission
launched March 2nd, 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the
agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and dock to the space
station the next day. Hey, thanks for tuning into the
episode today. It's been a whirlwind of
discussion, and we hope it's given you some food for thought
on the multifaceted actions of one of the world's most talked
about entrepreneurs. If you've enjoyed this episode,
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BMW showcased its electric concept car, named the Vision
Nuclus. Now, this car is expected to be
the harbinger of a new era for BMW, built on a new
architectural foundation that will serve as the blueprint for
all its future EVs. Oliver Zips, the CEO of BMW,
shared that they're planning to double their EV sales this year.
We also estimated that by the end of 2023, battery Ev's will
comprise 15% of BMW's global sales.
For a brand steeped in a history of internal combustion engines,
that's a very significant pivot. Now, Mercedes-Benz wasn't far
behind either. They unveiled their concepts CLA
Class, another electric vehicle designed from the ground up to
serve as a cornerstone for their future electric offerings.
Their CEO was all praised for the car, claiming that its specs
are unparalleled in its class. It boasts an impressive range of
750 kilometers and a quick charge feature that can juice up
the car to run 400 kilometers in just 15 minutes.
If that doesn't show their ambition in the EV sector, I
don't really know what could. In the introduction of dedicated
EV platforms for BMW and Mercedes marks a significant
departure from their previous strategies.
Earlier, they would retrofit their existing combustion or
hybrid vehicles to accommodate the batteries, but with these
new reveals, they're setting up a dedicated assembly line for
EV's. It's a very serious commitment,
but despite these efforts and lists of pine that both Mercedes
and BMW have a mountain to climb to catch up the Tesla, let alone
to dominate this sector. Now a senior research analyst at
Bernstein Research, Daniel Roska, pointed out that while
these new platforms are a step forward, they may not completely
close the gap with Tesla and the competitive Chinese players.
And Speaking of competition, price wars are becoming
increasingly common the EV market.
Tesla has been aggressive with its pricing strategy, which puts
additional pressure on premium market players like BMW and
Mercedes. Now Collinius from Mercedes
emphasize that they aren't aiming to push volume, but are
focusing on value over volume. This could be a significant
differentiator in a market where many players, including Tesla,
are fighting fiercely for market share.
Now Volkswagen is also in the race with unique strategy.
They plan to target various market segments by offering cars
at different price points, and with the announcement of
launching 11 new EV models by 2027, they're definitely not
holding back. While these vehicles themselves
are impressive, the real differentiator in the EV sector
seems to be technology. Tesla software capabilities,
especially with Autopilot, have set a high standard, but
European automakers are catching up.
BMW, for example, is touting its head up display that projects
information out of the driver's windshield.
Now, Zips also highlighted their significant investment in
digital aspects, including semiconductors.
So the electric vehicle market is getting more and more
crowded. It's no longer just Tesla and
the Chinese companies like BYD. But why is this happening?
One reason could be the growing consumer awareness about
environmental issues. And as the climate crisis
intensifies, people are increasingly considering
sustainable modes of transportation, thereby driving
up the demand for E V's. And governments around the globe
are also implementing stringent emission regulations, forcing
automakers to pivot to more eco friendly technologies.
Now BMW and Mercedes-Benz in particular have historically
been associated with luxury, performance and engineering
excellence. But they also recognize the
urgent need for sustainability and are taking big strides to
make their fleet more eco friendly.
This urgency is partly due to market demand, but it's also
because the competition is fierce and not waiting for them
to catch up. BMW is offering a concept car
that aims to set the stage for a brand new lineup with their EVs
and they plan to introduce it over the next few years.
And according to BMW CEO, this framework is such a huge game
changer. It's not about creating another
electric car, it's about shifting the very core of what
BMW represents as a brand. They're not only electrifying
their vehicles, but they're also reimagining how these cars will
interact with the drivers and with the environment and other
vehicles. The user experience is expected
to be significantly augmented by digital features, aiming to make
driving more intuitive and also enjoyable.
And on the flip side, Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA class
offers not just an electric vehicle, but a feat of
engineering that pushes the boundaries of what Ev's can do.
750 kilometer range is impressive, or really what
caught everyone's attention was its rapid charging capabilities.
15 minutes for 400 kilometers is something that even Tesla hasn't
achieved in their consumer models, and if you can bring
this from a concept to an actual car available on the market,
that would represent a massive leap in EV technology.
Now let's talk about some of the challenges they faced.
First off, the issue of battery technology and sourcing lithium
ion batteries are at the heart of all Ev's right now, and
securing a steady, sustainable supply of these materials is a
logistical and ethical challenge.
Companies are racing to find alternative materials or improve
the efficiency of existing ones. This is where Tesla has an
advantage with its Gigafactories and plans to manufacture its own
batteries. Whether BMW and Mercedes can
catch up on this front, it's something to keep an eye on.
Another challenge? Infrastructure.
Europe does have a growing network of charging stations,
but it's not yet an extensive network like it is in the US,
and it needs to be a bigger market to support a mass
adoption of electric vehicles. Both BMW and Mercedes will need
to consider how their cars will fit into the existing
infrastructure, or what steps they could take to expand it or
make their own. And let's not forget about the
emerging competition from China. Companies like NEO and Speg and
BYD are not just content with conquering the domestic market,
They have global ambitions that are slowly but steadily entering
European and North American markets.
With often lower price models and impressive tech features.
These companies are set to give the traditional European
automakers a run for their money.
Meanwhile, VW and Audi are also stepping up their game.
VW has made it clear that they intend to cater to various
segments of the market, providing options for every type
of consumer, and the versatility in their approach can make them
a formidable competitor to both BMW and Mercedes.
Now we have to remember again Tesla's Autopilot Tesla
software, the hardware that drives that software.
It set a standard for autonomous driving features.
And how will BMW and Mercedes compete on them?
They're working on it, but as mentioned earlier, BMW is
investing heavily in digital features, semiconductors, which
can significantly enhance vehicle performance and
experience. And these moves by BMW and
Mercedes-Benz are not mere incremental steps in the realm
of EVs. They signify a wholesale
commitment to the future that's electric.
And while these are challenges and they're stiff competition
out there, their willingness to invest, innovate and adapt
speaks volumes about the resilience and vision of these
iconic brands. On April 20th, 2023, SpaceX
launched its first integrated Starship and super heavy
vehicle. But instead of a grand success,
the mission concluded in an explosion, prompting an FAA
investigation. Starship is the cornerstone of
Spacex's vision for the future of space travel, with its
ability to carry a large payload and humans to the moon into
Mars. Now, the recent investigation
looked into what went wrong and outlined 63 corrective actions
that SpaceX needs to implement before taking to the skies.
Again, the FEA made it clear that this isn't a complete green
light for SpaceX. They stated that SpaceX would
need to implement all corrective actions that impact public
safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the
FAA that addresses all safety, environmental, and other
application regulatory requirements prior to the next
Starship launch. Now, one of the critical issues
was the failure of the two stages of a Starship separate,
triggering Starship's autonomous flight safety system and causing
the vehicle to be destroyed. Moreover, the power of the Super
heavy 33 Raptor engines resulted in damage to the Starbase launch
site, creating a crater and launching debris into the air.
These are among the aspects that SpaceX will need to refine
before the next test flight. Now Elon Musk, Spacex's head,
took to social media to express that the company has already
made numerous improvements. He noted that thousands of
upgrades have been applied to both the Starship and the
launchpad, and one of the most significant changes is the shift
to hot staging, a complex process where the second stage
engines begin firing before full separation from the first stage.
Now this new strategy requires SpaceX to install new hardware,
including a heat shield and a venting interstage, and another
update involves fortifying the ground beneath Starbase's
orbital launch mount with a steel plate that has a water
spot or a deluge system. This deluge system is intended
to dissipate the extreme force generated by super heavy 33
Raptors, and the idea is that the water will act as a cushion
against the engine power, reducing the chances of damaging
the launchpad, as occurred during the April mishap.
But the path to the next launch is not entirely free of
roadblocks. There's the FP A's expectation
that SpaceX will need to obtain a license modification, which
means proving that all safety and environmental protocols are
met. That's a tall order, and SpaceX
hasn't yet announced when they'll apply for this
modification or when they expect to undertake another test
flight. Spacex's Starship program isn't
just a lark or an ambitious pipe dream, and has significant
implications for the future of space travel.
NASA plans to use Starship at its upcoming Artemis missions,
which aim to return humans to the moon.
Moreover, Starship is critical for Spacex's Starlink settling
Internet service, currently providing connectivity across 50
countries. The legal landscape is equally
complex. Environmental and cultural
heritage nonprofits have raised questions about the
environmental impact of Spacex's test flights.
SpaceX and the FAA are defendants in a lawsuit alleging
failure to conduct an appropriate environmental review
prior to the first Starship test flag.
This is Spacex's flagship project aimed at creating a
fully reusable spacecraft that can carry humans to Mars and
beyond, possibly to the outer solar system.
It's not just a concept on paper, it's an engineering
marvel, the design to accomplish tasks previously considered near
impossible, the capacity to carry up to 100 people.
Eventually, along with ample cargo space, this rocket can
undertake long duration voyages. Places like the Moon, Mars, and
perhaps even more distant celestial bodies.
Imagine it as the foundational block of Spacex's ambition to
make life multiplanetary, a super heavy rocket.
The first stage of the Starship system comes with over 30 Raptor
engines and serves as the workhorse for getting the second
stage Starship out of Earth's gravitational pull.
But the height of about 230 plus feet Super heavy is designed to
be not just powerful, but also efficient.
Once it gets Starship to a certain altitude, it disengages
and returns to Earth, where it can be refueled and launched
again. Now this reusability feature is
crucial for reducing the cost of space travel and making it more
accessible to a broader population.
Now the second stage Starship is not just a vessel for reaching
other planets, It's essentially a mini habitat that can sustain
life for extended periods of time.
About life support systems, spaces for scientific research,
and cargo areas for essentials like food and equipment.
It's an all in one vehicle for exploring the cosmos.
The spacecraft will be designed to execute pinpoint landings on
celestial bodies that lack atmosphere using its own
propulsion system. This provides the potential for
establishing bases on the Moon and Mars and facilitates the
transportation of resources between Earth and these
extraterrestrial locations. Together, Starship and super
Heavy aren't just rockets, they are the cornerstones of a vision
or interplanetary travel becomes a common aspect of human
civilizations. Now, while the FAA recent
decision marks progress, it doesn't mean that SpaceX can
proceed without obstacles. Corrective actions need to be
implemented and licenses need to be updated, and multiple
stakeholders from regulatory agencies to environmental groups
are keeping a watchful eye. Space Texas Starship could
launch anywhere between two weeks or two months, so we're
not exactly sure when this is going to happen.
After the FAA approval, maybe there's going to be other
environmental assessments, and possibly SpaceX could get those
63 items done faster than we expect.
So please stay tuned. Hit the subscribe or follow
button on whatever podcast platform you're on right now to
keep up to date with all the latest Starship news.
So what Honda's decision to switch to NACS actually mean?
NACS is a Tesla design standard that's been adopted by a growing
number of automakers, starting with Ford earlier this year.
And Honda has now joined the list, planning to equip its new
electric vehicles with NACS ports from 2025 onwards.
And this move will also grant Honda EV owners access to
Tesla's expansive and a highly reliable Supercharger network, a
considerable benefit for any electric vehicle owner planning
long trips or who wants an easier fast charging experience.
Now while access to Tesla Supercharger network is a big
win, it's worth noting that Honda, along with six other
automakers, have also committed to building a separate network
of high speed EV chargers across North America.
Slated for completion by 20-30, this new network aims to install
at least 30,000 high speed EV chargers and plans to leverage
funding from both private and the public sectors.
Now let's talk about the NACS standard.
At its core, NACS is designed to be a universal high performance
charging system that can be used across multiple makes and models
of electric vehicles. One of its key features is the
port design, which is slim and robust with no moving parts.
This makes it less susceptible to wear and tear, thereby
enhancing its durability. The NACS port supports both A/C
alternating current and DC direct current charging,
providing versatility to users. When connected to a high speed
DC charger such as Tesla Supercharger can handle charging
rates of up to one MW, allowing for extremely fast charging
times. Now this capacity far exceeds
most existing standards and can replenish hundreds of miles of
range. In just a matter of minutes.
And the goal of NECS is not just to facilitate faster charging,
but to create a unified system that can be easily adopted for
various automakers. Tesla has opened up this
standard with the intention of streamlining the charging
infrastructure across North America.
This robust design, high charging capabilities and
flexibility. NACS is aiming to be the new
industry standard, encouraging broader adoption of electric
vehicles by making the charging process as convenient as
possible. Now let's pick the discussion to
other significant development in the world of Ev's The 7th
Automaker Alliance to construct the new network of high speed
charges across North America. This partnership includes
automakers like G, MB, MW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia,
Mercedes-Benz and Stalantis. The coalition aims to make long
distance travel for EV owners more convenient by installing
charges along highways in in urban centers, leveraging the
national Electric Vehicle infrastructure or NEVI funding
in the United States and other public and private sources.
Now while Tesla Supercharger network has set a very high
standard, this joint venture aims to take it one step further
by offering a universally compatible network that will
serve various EV makes and models.
There will be no need to fumble with multiple charging station
apps as the network will adopt the developing plugin charge
standard. The Federal Highway
Administration is attempting to standardize the end game.
Here is a better, more unified charging experience for all
electric vehicle owners, irrespective of their vehicles
maker model. Now the faster people can plug
in, charge and go, the easier it becomes for potential buyers to
make the switch from fossil fuels to electric vehicles,
helping us move towards a more sustainable future.
And the new network plans to be powered entirely by renewable
energy, a crucial step towards environmental sustainability.
Now the big take away though, as EV adoption grows,
standardization will play a key role in influencing consumer
choices and behaviors. Tesla opening up its charging
standard is a significant step forward, and how disagreement to
adopt it marks yet another milestone.
And the formation of the Seven Automaker Alliance is another
pivotal moment, signaling a growing commitment across the
industry to make electric vehicle charging as convenient
and efficient as possible. Now, thank you again for tuning
into today's episode of the Elon Musk Podcast.
If you found value in this episode, make sure to hit the
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elonclub.com. We're going to talk about the
latest SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, Crew Six, which
successfully returned from its journey to the International
Space Station. Now this mission involved 3
astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut and it came to a safe
conclusion just off the coast of Jacksonville, FL.
From the brilliant streak across the sky to the controlled
splashdown but at the future of SpaceX human space flights, this
is something that we are all going to be intrigued about now.
But before we move on, I'd like to give a shout out to everyone
who supports this podcast by joining the Elon Musk Investors
Club. Your contributions enable us to
keep this show running every single day, covering the latest
in technology, space exploration, Tesla X, and more.
Early Monday, between 12:05 AM and 12:17 AM, the Dragon
Endeavor capsule meet is descent back to Earth, creating a
mesmerizing spectacle over the Gulf of Mexico and central
Northeast Florida. An observer is even reported
hearing Sonic booms as the capsule pierced through the
Earth's atmosphere. This marks the fourth trip to
space for Dragon Endeavor, which had previously flown missions
Axiom 1, Crew Two and Demo Two. And upon touching down of the
Atlantic Ocean, Crew 6 Commander Stephen Bowen expressed his
gratitude to SpaceX. He said, Thanks SpaceX, We
really appreciate all the support from all the initial
training through the launch throughout the mission keeping
us abreast of the status of the vehicle and all the support all
the way down. Now Stephen Bowen was joined by
NASA astronaut Woody Hoberg, the United Arab Emirates Sultan Al
Niade and Russian cosmina Andrei Fedyev, and they all closed the
Hatch of this capsule and departed from the International
Space Station about 17 hours before their grand splashdown.
Now the mission itself. It lasted about six months,
focusing primarily on scientific experiments and maintenance of
the International Space Station. And before reentry, the Dragon
endeavor performed its final of 5D orbit burns, sealing its fate
for the descent back to Earth. And during this process, the
capsule's heat shield had to withstand temperatures up to
3500 degrees Fahrenheit. As expected, the plasma layer
around the capsule knocked out communications with the crew for
about 7 minutes. Standard occurrence during
reentry. Now let's talk about the moment
the capsule landed. SpaceX teams immediately
approached the capsule floating on the Atlantic waters to ensure
that no toxic propellants were leaking.
Following this, the capsule was hoisted up out of the deck of
Spacex's recovery ship Megan, named after NASA astronaut Megan
MacArthur. And medical checkouts for the
astronauts were done right there on the vessel before they
boarded a helicopter back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
From there, will return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in
Texas. Now this marks another milestone
for SpaceX, which has now flown 11 human Space Flight missions,
eight of which were contracted with NASA's Commercial Crew
Program. The other three missions, namely
inspiration for Axiom 1 and Axiom Two, were focused on
private astronauts. The latest mission?
Crew Seven was launched just over a week ago with astronauts
from NASA, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency and a cosmonaut from Roscosmos.
Florida's next planned liftoff is a United Launch Alliance
Atlas 5 rocket, which was recently grounded due to
hurricane. Now, this is a part of a
national security mission involving the US Space Force and
the National Reconnaissance Office.
In addition, SpaceX plans to launch another Falcon 9 carrying
a batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Forest
Station. And SpaceX is having a banner
year. Not only did the company
successfully bring back the crew from the ISS, but it also
launched 62nd mission of the year, putting 21 more Starlink
satellites into orbit. SpaceX is really pushing the
envelope in terms of what's possible in space exploration
and satellite development. The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off
from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:47 PM on
Monday. This is Spacex's 62nd launch
this year, setting a new yearly record for the company, outdoing
its previous record sent last year.
In 2022, the first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to a drone
ship about 9 minutes after liftoff, showcasing once again
the capability of reusable rockets, and the upper stage
deployed the 21 satellites into low Earth orbit roughly an hour
after liftoff. And according to information
available on Spacex's website, this mission also marked a
significant milestone for the Falcon Nine's first stage
booster. It was its 10th launch and
landing early around Monday as we were discussing Spacex's
Dragon spacecraft successfully returned for astronauts from the
International Space Station. The crew had been there for 186
days following their launch in March, engaging in an array of
tasks, from space walks to scientific experiments and
station management. Now, in a post on his X
platform, formerly known as Twitter, Elon praised the
incredible work that SpaceX has done.
SpaceX, as this year, has been responsible for delivering
approximately 80% of all Earth payload mass to orbit.
To put that into perspective, China supplied about 10%, with
the rest of the world contributing the remaining 10%.
That's huge, and they're aiming to escalate the launch frequency
for 10 Falcon flights per month by the end of this year, and to
push it to 12 per month by 2024. And according to the current
stats, SpaceX has completed a total of 261 launches at 223
landings with 195 total reflights.
That's the type of innovation that sets the stays for
ambitious goals like Mars colonization with the Starship,
which has always been a longterm vision for SpaceX and Elon Musk.
Now looking at the future, the next Starlink launch is Friday
and taking off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
And As for collaborations with NASA, the next one is slated for
at least February of 2024, during which SpaceX will
transport the crew 8 astronauts to the International Space
Station. And yes, the hardware
allocations for the Dragon and Falcon rockets are already in
the planning stages. So summing this all up, whether
it's bringing astronauts back to the Earth or setting new records
and satellite launches, SpaceX is propelling everybody into a
new era of space exploration as missions like these that add
building blocks to the foundation of the future, where
travel to the moon, travel to Mars and beyond are all a
possibility now. It's incredible to think that
we're living through this right now.
In an age where all of this is happening right before our eyes,
this Tuesday was a crucial day for SpaceX as a Starship rocket
was stacked atop its Super Heavy booster in South Texas, marking
the beginning of the final preparations for its second
launch. Now, this occasion led to SpaceX
founder Elon Musk to post on X or Twitter that Starship is
ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval and the mention
of the FAA. The Federal Aviation
Administration is noteworthy. The agency is still engaged in
reviewing documents and data from Spacex's first attempt to
launch Starship in April of 2023.
That initial flight concluded about 90 seconds after liftoff
due to engine difficulties and other problems with the booster.
Now, as part of their ongoing evaluation, the FEA is looking
into several aspects of this incident, such as the
environmental impact at the launch site and the delayed
activation of the Rockets flight termination system.
And in response to these setbacks, SpaceX generated quote
mishap investigation report and submitted it to the FAA.
The FAA in turn will highlight the corrective measures SpaceX
must implement prior to its second test flight.
The objective is to ensure the safety of not only property, but
also humans and wildlife in the vicinity of the South Texas
launch site, which is close to both wetlands and the Gulf of
Mexico. Now, when probed for an update
on this regulatory scrutiny, an FAA spokesperson suggested that
additional information could be forthcoming.
In fact, on Wednesday at 6:00 PM Eastern, the FAA issued a
statement indicating the SpaceX Starship mishap investigation
remains open, clarified that they won't authorize another
Starship launch until SpaceX enacts the identified corrective
actions and complies with all license modification.
Prerequisites Now, beyond the regulatory stuff, it's worth
noting the SpaceX has been incredibly busy with
preparations at the Starbase launch site.
They've worked diligently to upgrade the ground systems in
the rocket itself For the second launch attempt in the first
flight, the absence of a sound suppression system caused
significant structural damage, notably sending fragments of
concrete from the launchpad, scattering across the vicinity
of the Starbase location. And in order to mitigate this
issue, SpaceX has constructed and tested a new water deluge in
flame deflector system located under the Starship launch mount.
Now the SpaceX engineering team has also been occupied with
enhancing the interstage area between the first stage rocket
and the upper stage Starship vehicle, now referred to as a
hot staging ring. And the aim is to enable the
Starship upper stage engines to ignite even before the Super
heavy first stage finishes its burn.
Although this is an intricate operation, a successful
execution could significantly boost the mass to orbit
performance of this launch vehicle.
And in preparation for the upcoming test flight, SpaceX has
carried out two hot fire tests of the Booster 9 rocket and also
ran tests on the Starship upper stage Ship 25.
And both sets of hardware have mainly passed these trials.
And the next test flight, unlike commercial missions, will not
carry any payloads or people. And the objective is to test the
performance of the 33 Raptor rocket engines in the booster
along with stage separation and the ignition of Starship 6
engines. And should the flight proceed as
planned, Starship will complete almost 3/4 of an orbit around
Earth before making a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean north of
Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Now, while the exact flight path
might still be under wraps, pending FAA approval and other
regulatory checks, the anticipated trajectory does give
us plenty to talk about. Starship, once launched, aims to
achieve a series of milestones that not only demonstrate the
feasibility of the technology, but also provide invaluable data
for future, more complex missions.
The first part of the flight involves the ignition of super
heavy 33 Raptor rocket engines. These engines are expected to
generate a massive amount of thrust, propelling the vehicle
through Earth's atmosphere. It's crucial for all these
engines to operate in synchronization, not just for
liftoff, but also as the vehicle ascends. the Super Heavy booster
is the real workhorse here, designed to lift the entire
rocket assembly until it reaches a designated altitude where
stage separation occurs. Now, upon reaching this
altitude, a highly crucial part of the mission takes place.
The stage separation is where the Super heavy detaches from
the Starship upper stage, and at this point the upper stage,
which has its own set of 6 Raptor engines, ignites to
continue the journey into space. Now this stage aims to carry
Starship almost 3/4 of an orbit around Earth.
It's a complex dance to physics and engineering requiring
precise timing and flawless execution from both hardware and
software systems on board. And one of the most innovative
features expected to be tested is the hot staging ring,
designed to facilitate the seamless transition between the
Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage.
And the hot staging rain would theoretically enable the upper
stage engines to ignite even before Super Heavy has completed
its burn and separated. This complicated maneuver of
successfully executed would revolutionize the mass to orbit
performance metrics, allowing heavier payloads to be carried
to space with greater efficiency And after cleaning nearly 75% of
US orbit, the plan is for Starship to descend into the
Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
This segment of the mission is equally critical because it
involves reentry into the atmosphere, which subjects the
spacecraft to extreme temperatures and stresses.
Now, starships, heat shield and other protective measures will
be put to the test here, essentially proving whether the
vehicle is capable of enduring the harsh conditions it would
face in an actual mission beyond Earth to orbit.
Now let's talk about a Super Heavy booster after separation.
The design philosophy behind Super Heavy focuses on
reusability. Post separation, Super Heavy
will execute a controlled descent burn back to Earth in
The booster aims to land vertically as a designated
platform, a maneuver that SpaceX has perfected with its Falcon 9
rockets. And achieving this with a Super
Heavy booster would be another monumental milestone considering
its enormous size and complexity.
The booster is about 250 feet tall now.
By studying each segment of the flight path in extreme detail,
SpaceX aims together a treasure trove of data that would inform
future missions, be a lunar landings, Marcus Expeditions, or
even more ambitious yet to be announced adventures into the
cosmos. And every piece of information,
from engine performance and stage separation to reentry
dynamics and splashdown is a puzzle piece in the grand scheme
of the Starship. Thank you for joining us today
on this episode of the Elon Musk Podcast.
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