Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
Boring Company, and Neuralink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
Can we for one second think about SpaceX launching hundreds
of Starships every single year, both from Boca Chica, Starbase,
Texas, and Kennedy Space Center in Florida?
Now there are two companies that made it very apparent that they
don't want this to happen. They did this the other day.
And this is a thing that we have to talk about as a community and
as people that want to see humans go to space, live on the
moon, live on Mars. And these two companies want
SpaceX to be halted from sending anybody to the moon for the
Artemis program or in the future to live on Mars.
They made this very apparent in some posts the other day.
And Christian Davenport on X posted this in a finally with
the FAA regarding Spacex's proposed use of Pad 39 A for
Starship. Blue Origin Jeff Bezos company
asked for a cap on the rate of Starship Super Heavy launch,
landing, and other operations, including but not limited to
test firings, transport operations, and fueling.
Blue Origin also says there should be mandatory penalties
for SpaceX for conducting operations not included in an
EIS or other environmental restrictions, violating a launch
license or any other laws, regulations, or other rules for
operating. OK, let's take a look at this O
this read's super heavy operations are expected to have
a greater environmental impact. Remember that part, The
environmental impact part is extremely important here than
any other launch vehicle currently operating at KSC.
Super Heavy can hold up to an unprecedented 5200 metric tons
of liquid methane for propulsion, resulting in
qualified distances for safety margins that potentially overlap
the operational sites of other companies, the government and
the public. Now Blue Origin is talking about
their own facilities at Kennedy Space Center here also the
government, we pull them into this too, and the public which
does regular people doing regular jobs, which is just
people landscaping or doing whatever, you know, whatever
they do. Now the scary part is they
included environmental impact with this.
And this is where it gets a little bit dirty.
Now the data qualified quantifying these qualified
operations operation distances has not been published, but
given the anticipated Super heavy launch rate and vehicle
impact, the impact of Super heavy operations at Kennedy
Space Center maybe even greater than at Starbase.
Now let's go on a little bit further.
According the EIS should thoroughly evaluate the
considerable risks, alternatives, mitigations and
resources listed below. The issues raised herein are
reasonably foreseeable. OK.
Capping the rate of Super Heavy launches, landings and
operations. Capping basically cutting off
SpaceX at the kneecaps so they can't do any launches or very
few launches from Kennedy Space Center.
Also, no test firings, transport operations, fueling to a number
that has a minimal impact on local environment, locally
operating personnel and the local community.
They're just talking about the locals in consideration of all
risks and impacts, including but not limited to anomaly risk, air
toxin and hazardous materials dispersion, Rd. closures, and
heat and noise generation. They're basically calling out
SpaceX here. It's making them seem like
monsters. Government investment in
additional launch infrastructure that would make more launch pads
available to other entities in a manner that de conflicts the
Super heavy operations from other launch providers.
Basically saying, hey, give us the opportunity to continue
doing our own launches while SpaceX is doing their Starship
stuff. It's a pretty big document and
it seems pretty sketchy in my opinion, and I'm going to get
into that a little bit later. Why it's sketchy?
What they want to do is put a public perception of SpaceX into
the zeitgeist. The SpaceX is bad and Blue
Origin is good. Jeff Bezos, oh, he's such a good
guy. Elon's unhinged.
He's crazy. Look at this guy.
He does all sorts of wacky stuff.
He's a Wildman. Jeff Bezos secretly undercover
builds this massive rocket that's in direct competition
with SpaceX. Direct competition was super
heavy. So by softening the blow with a
greater environmental impact statement on the 1st sentence,
they make people think. They make the government think,
oh, this is going to be bad. It's bad for the environment.
Nobody wants to mess up the environment.
I don't I, I mean, you don't want the water to get polluted.
You don't want all of that wildlife to die.
Oh my God, what could happen if SpaceX, if something happens to
SpaceX is super heavy rocket at Kennedy's Space Center.
That's what they that's what they say.
This is a direct attack against SpaceX.
Now, mind you, the second sentence, unprecedented 5200
metric tons of liquid methane for propulsion resulting in
qualified distances for safety margins.
I understand this part that potentially overlap the
operational sites of other companies, the government and
the public. OK, so this part is true.
When Starship launches, the safety precautions that will be
needed for people, planes, boats, other companies, it's a
big kind of blast radius for this thing.
They have to be 7 miles away. And some of these companies,
including Blue Origin, aren't in that.
They are inside that blast radius.
They're not in the safe zone. So Blue Origin during these
launches, if there's going to be hundreds of launches per year,
that could be 100 days that SpaceX takes over Kennedy Space
Center. So this part of it totally
understand Bezos totally get it dude, you look like a super
villain. OK, you have your giant yacht.
You have all the money in the world and you also don't want
this to stop your giant rocket from launching and for your from
your company from making money which totally get it.
Bezos is a savage businessman and he will go after anybody
that impedes his companies in any single way.
So SpaceX here, if Blue Origin is in the blast radius of
Starship super heavy, the keep out zone from launches and of
test flights. SpaceX, Elon actually said
they're not going to do test flights from Kennedy Space
Center, but they have to, right? They have to get the the
Starship ready to go at Boca Chica, Starbase, Texas.
But the first flight that they do from Kennedy Space Center,
it's not not a test. They're going to be testing all
the systems the first time. Sure, it might be a successful
launch and landing of the Super heavy Starship, but it also
could be, you know, a, a test of sorts because they've never
flown from that position before from that spot.
So from the Kennedy Space Center launch tower that isn't even
built yet, it's kind of a test. So Bezos and company over here
at Blue Origin, they kind of have a point.
I mean, that part of it, yeah. But the whole environmental
impact thing, that's just a cover up for what they really
want. And that's for SpaceX to get
sued. They want legal precautions put
in place, mitigations, if you will, for SpaceX.
So they can't launch from Kennedy's Space Center.
They want to hold them within red tape, strangle them for
years to come for within a environmental assessment,
environmental impact studies possibly could take years to
complete. Environmental impact studies,
you know they say here. Accordingly, the EIS
Environmental Impact Study should thoroughly evaluate the
considerable risks, alternatives, mitigations, and
resources listed below. Issues raised herein are
reasonably foreseeable. Now, here we go.
This is the part that gets a little bit wonky.
They're way ahead of everybody else.
So why would SpaceX not want to keep going forward here?
Elon and company, they're going to keep working no matter what.
They're going to keep doing whatever.
Whatever they do at Boca Chica, they're going to make that
second tower. They're in the process right now
on everyday Astronauts channel. He interviewed Elon and Elon
said they're building a brand new tower.
Everything's brand new. The tower that we see now, it's
going to be garbage compared to this new tower apparently.
And they're going to upgrade everything, a new water system,
new flame trench type system, he said.
Elon said the engineers are going ham on this thing and
building a, a better tower. So bigger tower, better tower.
And in here they say the government investment in
additional launch infrastructure that would make more launch pads
available to other entities. So basically, hey, we won't have
the ability to launch when SpaceX has super Heavy ready to
launch. We won't be able to do any of
our operations. We need, we need the room, we
need the space, we need the time.
So build us another pad, get us all the other stuff that we
need, the the roads, whatever we need.
We need like some other ways to do our job.
Totally get it. And is Elon and SpaceX pushing
the boundaries of Space Flight? Yes.
But is he pushing back on people that are slow?
Yes. You know, if if Blue Origin
can't keep up with them, then what is what is Blue Origin
supposed to do? They're going to sue them, you
sue, you sue the hell out of them, and the FAA is going to go
along with it. You know the FAA isn't going to
go along with it, but the FAA. This is a letter to the FAA, by
the way. This isn't just something they
put out there. So here's another second
company. So not only was it bad that Blue
Origin was doing this, but also the ula has entered the chat.
What is up, Tori Tori Bruno? You have a cool cowboy hat.
You have a cool mustache when you grow it out.
You ride a horse. You have a giant rocket company
that's worth billions of dollars, but yet you joined up
with Blue Origin to also attack SpaceX, and it seems kind of
sketchy. I'm not gonna lie here.
I want everybody to get along. I want all these rocket
companies to work together so people can work and live on the
moon and go to Mars. Why would you want to stop that?
The reason is it's Monday. Moolah Big green.
Now this is what Ula had to say. As a threshold matter, the EIS
must acknowledge that Starship is still in experimental stages.
SpaceX plant operations at LC39A Kennedy Space Center have
evolved and continue to evolve. We know it's a test vehicle
right now the FAA knows Starship is the largest rocket ever built
and is currently tested at Spacex's private base in Boca
Chica, Texas. And in prior test results test
flights SpaceX now this is the scary part.
People has experienced several technical accidents.
In addition, SpaceX has acknowledged that the vehicle is
not meeting anticipated performance levels, and as a
result, SpaceX has indicated that it plans to increase the
size and thrust level of the vehicle stages to address this
performance shortfall. This would result in
environmental and safety issues greater than those witnessed at
Boca Chica. Let's scare the pants off
everybody. Let's just scare them, OK?
They have a big rocket. We know that it's going to have
more thrust than anything. Everybody knows that the FEA
works completely hand in hand with SpaceX.
So it's not like the FEA doesn't know this stuff.
And I can't believe they did this on the same day as Blue
Origin within the within 24 hours of each other.
Come on, Tori. You know what, Tori?
I'm not mad about this. I'm just disappointed in you.
You could have taken the High Road.
You could have done the right thing.
You could have competed with SpaceX directly.
You could have spent money building reliable reusable
rockets that could be launched from an American launch provider
with such a heritage and prestige.
Like ula you could have just fought them hand to hand combat.
But instead you're using sneaky tactics.
You're being a little sketchy here.
You're talking at the side of your mouth.
You should be talking straightforward instead of
saying this environmental stuff, these rockets, they're going to
hurt things. Yeah, it's in a it's, it's a
deal, right? The FAA, SpaceX, it's a big
deal. It's a big rocket.
But instead you took the low Rd. Tory Ula and Blue Origin.
If you think they're not working together on this, they're both
posted within the same 24 hours. There's some stuff going on here
between these two companies. People talk, they're in the same
industry. They work right down the road
from each other. So of course, somebody wrote an
e-mail, hey, we're going to release this thing or ula saw
what Blue Origin did and said, hey, we can do the same thing.
Let's get on. Let's get them guys, make a
better rocket that can compete with the Super Heavy.
You wouldn't have to worry about this.
OK, so there's other parts to this that we can go through, and
Blue Origin covered most of it. But they're disguising this as
an environmental issue when in all actuality, this is about
money, baby. Billions of dollars that they
could be getting from the government and from other
sources. Department of Defense, private
contractors flying satellites into orbit, whatever it is ula
Blue Origin. See the writing on the wall?
They're scared. They're backed up into a corner.
SpaceX is eating their lunch. Now these two are trying to
fight back. They're trying to be the
bullies. But what they're doing here is
they're being sneaky, and they're being, let's just say, a
little bit underhanded. They're using the system, the
FAA and the government to their advantage, and they're coming
directly at SpaceX for this. Now, remember, if SpaceX gets
tangled up in this red tape, they could be stuck in it for
years to come. And we couldn't see a SpaceX
Starship launch from Kennedy Space Center for two, maybe
three years because of this. What happens to the Artemis
program because these two petty companies are attacking SpaceX?
I understand where they're coming from.
If they're in the blast radius of a Starship, figure it out.
The FAA, SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center, they'll all figure it
out. And because these two bigger
companies, these two big companies, massive rocket
companies are working with the government and they're working
with NASA, Kennedy Space Center, etcetera, they have some pull.
So I get it. I totally get it, but just do it
the right way. Let them handle their business.
I understand where you're like where you're airing this out
right now, but it's pretty sketchy.
It's pretty like obviously you work together on this.
No matter Like show us, show us, show us that you didn't show us
that you didn't work together. How about that?
OK, that's pretty. It's very funny though, that
like they didn't, they didn't expect us to get that.
Do you do it right? Let them go through the proper
channels, let them go through the FAA.
Let them do their thing. If the FAA says they're ready to
go, then they're ready to go. SpaceX intends to launch a
larger model at LC39A than it is currently testing in Boca Chica.
SpaceX reveal plans to at minimum quadruple payload size
to make up for shortfalls. I'd like this, the shortfalls
and predicted performance. Starship will eventually be 492
feet tall by the way. That's freaking huge. 500 feet
tall. 50 story building. What in the world is going on?
Super Heavy booster is expected to hold up to 4100 metric tons
of propellant, a Starship up to 2600 metric tons.
The maximum liftoff thrust is anticipated of 103 Mega Mega
Newtons resulting in launch impacts would far exceed current
impacts seen during current Boca Chica launches.
Yeah, it's a bigger rocket. We know.
Additional growth of the Starship launch vehicle may be
planned if performance continues to fall below expectations.
Given these changes, the EIS must perform a comparative
analysis between current usage impacts and the proposed
operations, with a rocket proposed to be more than double
the size of any current licensed launch vehicle and with
increased frequency of launches. So hundreds of launches per
year, hundreds of launches, say 100 launches, say even 50
launches per year, 50 launches. That's fifty days that some of
these engineers and workers in the office anywhere, any driving
a truck, who knows what you're doing out there.
You could just be like watering the lawn, doing landscaping at
Kennedy Space Center, but you couldn't do it because SpaceX is
launching a Starship. I get it, Tori, I, I understand
where you're coming from. SpaceX and the FAA work like
this. They work like this.
They also do this. That's a magic trick, by the
way, children. Yes, that's a trick my dad
taught me anyway, that to be a little bit weird.
But that's a cool thing you can do, by the way, and show people
that you have magic fingers. And if you do it to a little 3
year old, they're going to be like what just happened.
SpaceX knows what they're doing. They've been working with the
FAA. Since inception, and the FAA is
very knowledgeable about what's going on in Boca Chica.
They have to be because they're operating with SpaceX.
They're authorizing SpaceX to launch these rockets from Boca
Chica. So they know exactly what's
going on. They did damage reports for the
first, second, third, and upcoming launches.
They're doing all that stuff with SpaceX and they know what
SpaceX is planning. So anything they do here,
anything that Blue Origin or ula does, it's just them beating
their chest and shoving SpaceX to the side and saying, hey,
let's wrap you up in some red tape.
Let's do another environmental impact study.
You think putting up pressure on the FAA, it could happen and
SpaceX could be stuck in that red tape for two years while
they do an environmental impact study to see if anything is
going to happen with the Starship if anything goes wrong.
Do you think this is right ula and Blue Origin, do you think
this is the right way to do it? Or do you think that, you know,
making this public and posting these things on the same day?
You don't think this is an attack, direct attack on SpaceX?
2 two of the biggest Space Flight companies in existence
just just so happened to have the same idea on the same day.
It's so cute. It's so cute.
June 25th, Hey, I got this idea. I think I'm going to post
something on my account about the FAA.
This is pretty cool. And then that was Blue Origin by
the way. And then ula goes, I got an
idea. I got this really great idea.
I think I too am going to post something that I don't know
anything about Blue Origin, but I'm going to do it myself.
Let me just post this. And nobody, nobody knew that
this was going to happen. Whatever, dude.
These companies, they're talking to each other.
There's some background stuff going on.
They're both like, yo, what are you going to post today?
Hey, let's post this up, dude. There's like two people, you
know, there's, there's like this scheme, you know how you always
think like those people that are like, oh, there's like a dark
whatever in the background that's controlling things.
It's just people, right? But these people are weird.
Like these two entities ula and Blue Origin, they're like, let's
make the maximum impact against SpaceX.
Let's do it together, let's fight SpaceX.
And if we do it and there's two of us, SpaceX can't fight us
because we're gonna get the FAA involved.
We're gonna wrap him up in this red tape and they'll never get
out. And then me being Blue Origin,
I'll be able to launch my giant rocket from Kennedy Space Center
before SpaceX launches their rocket from Kennedy Space
Center. You get a little bragging
rights. You might get some contracts
that SpaceX doesn't get because you have a flight proven rocket.
SpaceX doesn't have that yet. You might get big contracts, you
might get government contracts, you might get Department of
Defense contracts that are only awarded to rockets that have
made it to orbit or have done other certain things.
And if Blue Origin can push SpaceX back from doing that from
Kennedy Space Center, who knows what kind of contracts they
could get. Millions of dollars, billions of
dollars worth of contracts the SpaceX might not get because
Jeff Bezos and company ula included Tori calling you out.
Cowboy hat looks cool. That big mustache that you had
look cool. But you know what?
You're a punk. Stop it.
Stop it, Jeff Bezos, stop it. Tori, you're being babies about
this. SpaceX is going to work with the
FAA. You didn't have to do this.
This is such a bitch move, dude, come on, come on.
I know my channel's like for fun, but this is a real bitchy
thing to do. So come on.
It's all I'm saying. Christian, thanks for posting
this. Washington Post, Christian
Davenport, good, good tweets. But if you like this kind of
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Let me know in the comments what you think.
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