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Hey, everybody. 
Welcome back to the Elon Musk 

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Podcast. 
This is a show where we discuss 

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the critical crossroads that 
shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The 

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Boring Company and Neurolink. 
I'm your host, Will Walden. 

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SpaceX plans to launch the next 
Starship test flight on Monday 

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morning from Starbase in Texas, 
setting up a moment that could 

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lock in real momentum for the 
world's most powerful rocket. 

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The company set a 100 minute 
window that opens at 8:00 AM 

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Eastern and expects a familiar 
flight profile with stage 

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separation, long coast 
operations, and dual 

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splashdowns. 
The mission carries a simple 

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measure of progress that carries
heavyweight across the program. 

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And can SpaceX prove that the 
last full mission success was 

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repeatable under similar 
conditions? 

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Now this flight, known as 
Starship Flight 11, follows a 

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profile that prioritizes data 
over recovery. 

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Super Heavy will lift Starship 
separate at high altitude and 

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target a controlled splashdown 
in the Gulf of Mexico. 

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The upper stage will perform a 
deorbit burn, endure hypersonic 

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re entry, and aim for a 
splashdown in the Indian Ocean. 

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SpaceX will collect high rate 
telemetry throughout ascent, 

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descent and entry heating to 
validate guidance, thermal 

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protection and engine control 
under flight loads. 

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The vehicle includes a round of 
refinements that respond to the 

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previous missions, hotspots and 
stress points. 

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Engineers tightened heat shield 
tile fin, added insulation 

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around key joints and flaps, and
adjusted venting that affects 

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boundary layer stability. 
Teams also tweak descent 

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software to manage angle of 
attack, role authority, and G 

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loading with finer control. 
These details matter because 

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small changes to heating or 
attitude can decide whether a 

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ship survives peak heating 
intact. 

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The booster carries its own set 
of goals that Dr. reusability 

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forward Super Heavy must deliver
a clean separation, complete 

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engine relights, and hold the 
steady attitude on descent. 

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Plan calls for a soft splashdown
that proves thoughtful control, 

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grid fin authority, and ignition
timing. 

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Success here moves SpaceX closer
to controlled returns that 

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preserve hardware for inspection
and future recovery attempts. 

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Now the upper stage. 
Let's talk about this. 

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It must perform a precise 
deorbit burn and then hold the 

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reentry corridor with very tight
margins. 

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The ship will face temperatures 
about 2600°F and dynamic 

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pressure that can expose weak 
links in tiles and seams. 

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Now we're going to be watching 
this for flap articulation, 

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health, actuator temperatures, 
and sensor performance as the 

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plasma sheath builds, and the 
goal as a stable splashdown with

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intact structures and clean data
from start to finish. 

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The FAA license covers this 
flight profile and defines the 

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safety guard rails for both 
splash down zones. 

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The authorization confirms that 
SpaceX met environmental and 

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range safety requirements after 
earlier rounds of review, and 

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regulators approved hazard 
corridors and flight termination

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criteria that protect coastal 
areas and shipping lands. 

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It's up to the FAA to determine 
when SpaceX can launch now. 

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NASA needs Starship to mature 
into a dependable system because

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Artemis relies on it for human 
landings. 

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The HLS of the Human Landing 
System variant must prove long 

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duration on orbit operations, 
cryogenic propellant transfer, 

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and precision landing before any
people get on board. 

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Each Starship test that 
completes its plans lowers 

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mission risk and tightens 
program schedules. 

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A failure on any of these core 
objectives wood forest new 

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mitigations and also stretch 
timelines further. 

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Now SpaceX ties Starship's 
progress to its commercial road 

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map for Starlink and Heavy 
payloads. 

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The company wants to launch 
larger Starlink batches, enable 

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bigger satellites, and cut per 
kilogram costs. 

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And a stable Starship flight 
cadence will let SpaceX offload 

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missions from Falcon 9 and 
Falcon Heavy and reduce pressure

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on those fleets. 
Customers benefit when mass to 

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orbit rises and lead times fall 
and prices get lower. 

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Now the national security 
community tracks Starship as a 

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potential heavy lift option with
unique mission profiles, and 

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this test is important for them.
The payload base size and thrust

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margin opened room for larger 
spacecraft, multi manifest 

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deployments and rapid schedule 
recovery after delays. 

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Now the system also supports 
point to point cargo experiments

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on Earth that need a high thrust
trajectories and fast turn 

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around like this. 
Upcoming flight and reliable 

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splashdowns and clean telemetry 
will inform how those concepts 

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move from paper to actual 
planning of flights. 

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Starbase operations have set the
stage for this launch. 

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Through steady ground upgrades, 
crews expanded the water deluge 

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system, reinforce the orbital 
launch mount, and refined 

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propellant plumbing to stabilize
tanking. 

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The team validated the flight 
termination system and completed

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preflight checks that included 
static fire and wet dress data. 

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These steps reduce pad risk and 
shorten the path between 

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flights. 
So after this flight we go on to

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flight 12 and 1314 and 15 much 
faster than before. 

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The team will evaluate the 
winds, the upper level shear and

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sea states at the splashdown 
zones before committing to 

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tanking of the ship, and the 
booster controllers will enforce

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strict rules for engine 
performance, valve behavior, and

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avionics health with clear cut 
offs and parameters drift. 

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A scrub still delivers value 
because it refines ground 

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procedures and spotlights issues
before engines light. 

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And they could possibly have a 
scrub. 

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SpaceX plans to stream the 
launch with odd vehicle Camrys 

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and live telemetry overlays like
normal. 

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Stay tuned here because we will 
have more information as the 

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flight time happens. 
Now I want to know your ideas 

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about Starship. 
Do you think it's a good idea to

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continue testing this variant of
Starship, considering that it's 

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not the same variant that will 
be going to the moon? 

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What do you think SpaceX should 
start focusing on the HLS human 

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landing system version of 
Starship that doesn't have a 

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heat shield. 
It doesn't come back in the 

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atmosphere. 
It launches to the moon and it 

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stays there. 
It takes people from moon orbit 

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to the surface of the moon back 
to moon orbit. 

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It's kind of like a bus at that 
point or a taxi or something 

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going back and forth from the 
moon surface to orbit. 

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Hey, thank you so much for 
listening today. 

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I really do appreciate your 
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And I'll see you tomorrow.