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Hi everybody, and welcome back 
to the Elon Musk podcast. 

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Today we're going to be talking 
about the SpaceX Starship I FT-2

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launch that'll be happening from
Boca Chica Starbase, Texas. 

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We'll discuss the meticulous 
preparations of SpaceX has 

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undertaken, the implications of 
the FA A's ongoing review 

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following Starship's first Test 
flight, and what we can expect 

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from this highly anticipated 
second launch attempt. 

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But before we jump into the 
heart of the matter, a quick 

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note. 
The Elon Musk Podcast is made 

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possible by you, the listeners 
to the Elon Musk Investors Club.

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By joining the club at 
joinclubelon.com you help us 

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keep the show on the air every 
single day. 

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Now this Tuesday was a crucial 
day for SpaceX as a Starship 

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rocket was stacked atop its 
super heavy booster in South 

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Texas, marking the beginning of 
the final preparations for its 

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second launch. 
Now, this occasion led to SpaceX

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founder Elon Musk to post on X 
or Twitter that Starship is 

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ready to launch, awaiting FAA 
license approval and the mention

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of the FAA. 
The Federal Aviation 

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Administration is noteworthy. 
The agency is still engaged in 

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reviewing documents and data 
from Spacex's first attempt to 

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launch Starship in April of 
2023. 

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That initial flight concluded 
about 90 seconds after liftoff 

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due to engine difficulties and 
other problems with the booster.

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Now, as part of their ongoing 
evaluation, the FEA is looking 

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into several aspects of this 
incident, such as the 

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environmental impact at the 
launch site and the delayed 

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activation of the Rockets flight
termination system. 

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And in response to these 
setbacks, SpaceX generated a 

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quote mishap investigation 
report and submitted it to the 

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FAA. 
The FAA in turn will highlight 

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the corrective measures SpaceX 
must implement prior to its 

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second test flight. 
The objective is to ensure the 

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safety of not only property but 
also humans and wildlife in the 

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vicinity of the South Texas 
launch site, which is close to 

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both wetlands and the Gulf of 
Mexico. 

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Now when probed for an update on
this regulatory scrutiny and FAA

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spokesperson suggested that 
additional information could be 

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forthcoming. 
In fact, on Wednesday at 6:00 PM

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Eastern, the FAA issued a 
statement indicating the SpaceX 

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Starship mishap investigation 
remains open. 

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We clarified that they won't 
authorize another Starship 

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launch until SpaceX enacts the 
identified corrective actions 

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and complies with all license 
modification prerequisites. 

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Now, beyond the regulatory 
stuff, it's worth noting the 

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SpaceX has been incredibly busy 
with preparations at the 

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Starbase launch site. 
They've worked diligently to 

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upgrade the ground systems in 
the rocket itself. 

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For the second launch attempt. 
In the first flight, the absence

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of a sound suppression system 
caused significant structural 

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damage, notably sending 
fragments of concrete from the 

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launchpad, scattering across the
vicinity of the Starbase 

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location. 
And in order to mitigate this 

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issue, SpaceX has constructed 
and tested a new water deluge 

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and flame deflector system 
located under the Starship 

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launch mount. 
Now, the SpaceX engineering team

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has also been occupied with 
enhancing the interstage area 

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between the first stage rocket 
and the upper stage Starship 

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vehicle, now referred to as a 
hot staging ring, and the aim is

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to enable the Starship upper 
stage engines to ignite even 

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before the Super heavy first 
stage finishes its burn. 

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Although this is an intricate 
operation, a successful 

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execution could significantly 
boost the mass to orbit 

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performance of this launch 
vehicle. 

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And in preparation for the 
upcoming test flight, SpaceX has

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carried out two hot fire tests 
of the Booster 9 rocket and also

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ran tests on the Starship upper 
stage Ship 25. 

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And both sets of hardware have 
mainly passed these trials and 

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the next test flight, unlike 
commercial missions, will not 

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carry any payloads or people. 
And the objective is to test the

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performance of the 33 Raptor 
rocket engines in the booster 

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along with stage separation and 
the ignition of Starship 6 

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engines. 
And should the flight proceed as

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planned, Starship will complete 
almost 3/4 of an orbit around 

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Earth before making a splashdown
in the Pacific Ocean north of 

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Hawaiian Island of Kauai. 
Now while the exact flight path 

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might still be under wraps 
pending FAA approval and other 

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regulatory checks, the 
anticipated trajectory does give

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us plenty to talk about. 
Starship, once launched, aims to

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achieve a series of milestones 
that not only demonstrate the 

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feasibility of the technology, 
but also provide invaluable data

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for future, more complex 
missions. 

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The first part of the flight 
involves the ignition of Super 

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heavy 33 Raptor rocket engines. 
These engines are expected to 

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generate a massive amount of 
thrust, propelling the vehicle 

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through Earth's atmosphere. 
It's crucial for all these 

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engines to operate in 
synchronization, not just for 

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liftoff but also as the vehicle 
ascends. 

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The Super Heavy booster is the 
real workhorse here, designed to

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lift the entire rocket assembly 
until it reaches a designated 

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altitude where stage separation 
occurs. 

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Now upon reaching this altitude,
a highly crucial part of the 

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mission takes place. 
The stage separation is where 

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the Super Heavy detaches from 
the Starship upper stage and at 

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this point the upper stage, 
which has its own set of 6 

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Raptor engines, ignites to 
continue the journey into space.

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Now this stage aims to carry 
Starship almost 3/4 of an orbit 

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around Earth is a complex dance,
the physics and engineering 

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requiring precise timing and 
flawless execution from both 

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hardware and software systems on
board. 

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And one of the most innovative 
features expected to be tested 

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is the hot staging ring, 
designed to facilitate the 

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seamless transition between the 
Super heavy booster and the 

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Starship upper stage. 
And the hot staging ring would 

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theoretically enable the upper 
stage engines to ignite even 

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before super heavy has completed
its burn and separated. 

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This complicated maneuver of 
successfully executed would 

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revolutionize the mass to orbit 
performance metrics, allowing 

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heavier payloads to be carried 
to space with greater 

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efficiency. 
And after completing nearly 75% 

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of US orbit, the plan is for 
Starship to descend into the 

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Pacific Ocean north of the 
Hawaiian island of Kauai. 

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This segment of the mission is 
equally critical because it 

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involves reentry into the 
atmosphere which subjects the 

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spacecraft to extreme 
temperatures and stresses. 

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A Starships heat shield and 
other protective measures will 

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be put to the test here, 
essentially proving whether the 

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vehicle is capable of enduring 
the harsh conditions it would 

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face in an actual mission beyond
Earth to orbit. 

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Now let's talk about a Super 
Heavy booster. 

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After separation, the design 
philosophy behind Super Heavy 

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focuses on reusability. 
Post separation, Super Heavy 

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will execute a controlled 
descent burn back to Earth in 

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The booster aims to land 
vertically as a designated 

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platform, a maneuver that SpaceX
has perfected with its Falcon 9 

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rockets. 
And achieving this with a Super 

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Heavy booster would be another 
monumental milestone considering

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its enormous size and 
complexity. 

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The booster is about 250 feet 
tall now. 

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By studying each segment of the 
flight path in extreme detail, 

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SpaceX aims to gather a treasure
trove of data that would inform 

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future missions, be a lunar 
landings, Marcus Expeditions, or

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even more ambitious yet to be 
announced adventures into the 

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cosmos. 
And every piece of information, 

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from engine performance and 
stage separation to reentry 

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dynamics and splashdown is a 
puzzle piece in the grand scheme

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of the Starship. 
Thank you for joining us today 

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on this episode of the Elon Musk
podcast. 

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If you enjoyed what you heard, 
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on future episodes about 
Starship, SpaceX or anything 

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Elon Musk. 
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And until next time, take care 
of yourselves and each other, 

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and I'll see you in the next 
one.