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Hey everybody, welcome back to 
the Elon Musk Podcast. 

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This is a show where we discuss 
the critical Crossroads, The 

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Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The 
Boring Company, and Neuralink, 

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and I'm your host, Will Walden. 
SpaceX has been trying to get to

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100 Falcon launches for 2023, 
and as the year draws to a 

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close, the company has 
impressively surpassed its 

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previous annual record of 60 
launches, having completed 90 

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Falcon 9 in 4 Falcon Heavy 
missions. 

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With plans for three more 
launches before year end, 

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including a Falcon Heavy and two
Falcon Nines, SpaceX is poised 

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to end the year with 97 Falcon 
launches, including its Starship

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endeavors, which face 
challenges. 

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Post launch, the total count 
reaches 99 launches in one year.

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Now, since its first Falcon 
launch in 2010, SpaceX has 

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dramatically transformed the 
Space Flight industry. 

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The primary aim has always been 
to develop a reusable 

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spaceflight system capable of 
returning the 41.2m tall 

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boosters safely back down to 
Earth. 

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Now this innovation was realized
in 2015 with their first 

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successful booster landing, and 
today SpaceX frequently and 

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successfully lands its Falcon 
rockets, significantly cutting 

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down costs and democratizing 
access to space. 

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Now, recent Falcon 9 mission 
marked a new milestone, landing 

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a first stage booster with a 
record 19th time. 

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This achievement under score 
Spacex's mastery over reusable 

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technology, which has been 
pivotal in offering competitive 

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launch rates. 
Now this is open opportunities 

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for numerous entities to 
dispatch small satellites into 

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orbit. 
Now Spacex's last mission 

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involved launching a satellite 
for the German Intelligence 

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service from Vandenberg Space 
for Space in California. 

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This mission, along with others 
planned before the year's end, 

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highlights Spacex's global 
service range in its growing 

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list of international clients. 
And as 2023 has been a landmark 

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year for SpaceX, the company is 
already looking forward to 2024.

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With a rapidly filled launch 
calendar and a shift in focus to

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the Starship rocket, SpaceX is 
going to be even more intense 

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with their launch schedule in 
the coming year. 

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A recent Falcon Night launch on 
December 24th was particularly 

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notable though, carrying the 
Serra 2 mission to low Earth 

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orbit in this launch, initially 
planned for December 23rd, was 

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rescheduled to allow for extra 
preflight checks. 

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The Sarah 2 mission deployed 2 
synthetic aperture radar 

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reconnaissance satellites for 
the German military, continuing 

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the replacement of the older 
SAAR loop constellation. 

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Now Sarah 2, Sarah Three as 
reflector antenna satellites 

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will work in formation with 
Sarah One enhancing the 

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constellation resolution 
capabilities, and this mission 

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emphasizes SpaceX role in 
contributing to global satellite

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infrastructure and their 
launches for clients around the 

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globe. 
Now Falcon 9 used in the Sara 2 

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mission marked its eighth launch
and landing, demonstrating the 

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reliability and the reusability 
in Spacex's tech. 

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Now the successful deployment of
Sara Two and Sara 3 into orbit 

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further highlights that Falcon 
Nine can do the job. 

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And 2023 has been a very 
relentless year for Spacex's 

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activity with 94 orbit emissions
2 Starship test flights. 

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Although the Starship test 
didn't reach orbit, they 

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represent significant movement 
for the Starship program down at

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Boca Chica Starbase, Texas. 
Now the year 2023 was 

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extraordinary for activity, with
SpaceX their dominant and they 

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had 94 orbit emissions. 
This tally not only includes the

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deployment of satellites and 
supply mission, but also 

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encompasses significant advances
in their projects. 

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Additionally, the year saw two 
test flights of the Starship 

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rocket. 
Although they didn't quite reach

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orbit, they are huge steps 
forward for the company's 

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journey towards more advanced 
space exploration technologies 

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and a fully reusable launch 
system. 

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Now, the diverse range of 
Spacex's missions in 2023 

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highlights the company's 
expanding reach and innovation 

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in the space sector. 
From launching satellites for 

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global communications and 
reconnaissance to conducting 

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resupply missions to the 
International Space Station, 

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Spacex's portfolio has been 
increasingly varied and complex.

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These missions not only 
demonstrate the versatility and 

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reliability of Spacex's launch 
vehicles, but also their role in

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enabling a wide array of space 
activities, the company's 

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ability to consistently meet the
demands of different clients, 

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including governmental, 
commercial and scientific 

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entities. 
It shows that they are growing 

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influence and they will continue
to dominate the spaceflight 

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industry. 
Now, the two Starship test 

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flights that conducted in 2023, 
though not quite reaching orbit,

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were crucial in gauging the 
capabilities and challenges of 

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this next generation spacecraft.
These tests were pivotal in 

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advancing the design and 
functionality of Starship, a 

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vehicle central to Spacex's long
term vision for interplanetary 

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travel and for humans to live 
and work on Mars now, the test 

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provided valuable data and 
insights essential for refining 

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the design and engineering of 
the spacecraft. 

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And despite the challenges and 
setbacks, these steps are 

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significant in Spacex's journey 
to perfecting a spacecraft that 

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could revolutionize space 
travel, underlining the 

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company's commitment to 
innovation and willingness to 

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tackle the complexities with 
this cutting edge space 

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technology. 
Now the calendar year is set to 

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conclude with more SpaceX 
missions though, including a 

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Falcon Heavy launch carrying the
US Space Forces X37B space 

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plane. 
This is scheduled for December 

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28th, and this is a role for 
national defend. 

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The overall pace of space 
launches in 2023 has been 

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unprecedented, with a record of 
200 successful orbital flights 

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for not just SpaceX, but their 
competitors too. 

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This surge, though, has been 
largely driven by SpaceX, and 

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SpaceX has not only achieved a 
record number of launches in 

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2023, but also played a crucial 
role in shaping the new space 

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race. 
From deploying thousands of 

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Starlink satellites to 
conducting crude missions, 

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SpaceX has been at the forefront
of both commercial and 

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exploratory space endeavors. 
Now the Starship, though, 

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despite the volatility, has been
pivotal in this new journey for 

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SpaceX. 
They have the Falcon Heavy, they

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have the Falcon 9:00, but they 
need something a little bit 

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bigger to get them to Mars And 
these upcoming test flights of 

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the Starship for 2024. 
The early months of 2024 will be

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absolutely crucial for SpaceX 
and the Starship program going 

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forward, and the Artemis program
for NASA too. 

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Hey, thank you so much for 
listening today. 

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