Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads, the
Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company and Neurolink.
I'm your host, Will Walden. At precisely 4:37 PM Central
time, the massive 403 foot tall Starship system Block 2 roared
to life. Now this is powered by 33 Raptor
engines. the Super Heavy booster lifted off the pad with what
SpaceX described as a nominal ascent for the first phase of
the mission. Everything seemed to go
according to plan. The booster separated cleanly
from the upper stage and what is known as a hot stage separation
where the upper stages engines ignite just as the booster
finishes its roll. Now shortly after separation
though, the Super Heavy booster executed a boost back burn,
relighting 12 of its 13 planned engines to begin its return to
the launch site. Now in a moment.
This showcased the company's reusability strides.
The booster performed a controlled descent through its
actual plume that flew it to where it was in almost space in
a reignited all thirteen of its central engines for the landing
phase. It successfully slowed itself
down and precisely maneuvered onto the chopstick arms of
Spacex's launch and couch tower, the Mecca Zilla.
Now. This marked only the second time
that a Super Heavy booster had been caught using this method, a
huge achievement for the company's goal of reusing the
Super Heavy boosters now. Meanwhile, the upper stage of
Starship carried on with its portion of the mission.
The spacecraft, which is powered by 6 Raptor engines, began its
ascent burn towards space. The PLAN sequence seemed on
track until approximately 8 1/2 minutes into the flight, when
telemetry from the vehicle abruptly ceased.
Initial data suggests that a fire broke out in the AF section
of the spacecraft, ultimately leading to SpaceX describing it
as a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly, or a RED, which is
a technical term for basically an explosion.
Now, observers as far as the Turks and Caicos Islands
reported seeing the upper stage break apart in a dramatic
display, sort of like fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean.
Now, the cause of the explosion is believed to be a propellant
lake. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk
provided further insights just hours after the flight, stating
via X preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen slash fuel
leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall.
It was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent
capacity. He also indicated plans for
improvements, including adding fire suppression systems to the
affected area and expanding vent capacity to prevent similar
incidents in the future. Musk said nothing so far suggest
pushing next launch past next month.
Now, despite the loss of the upper stage, the Starship system
operated within the boundaries of its designated launch
corridor, an area specifically designed to protect public
safety on the ground, in the air and at sea.
And according to SpaceX, any surviving debris would have
fallen into a predetermined hazard area.
The US Federal Aviation Administration, or the FAA,
which Overseas Space Flight Safety briefly rerouted air
traffic in the vicinity but confirm that normal operations
resume shortly afterwards. Now the set back has not slowed
SpaceX though company has applied for permission to launch
Starship up to 25 times this year, and it's determined to get
this design operational and reliable.
SpaceX is already preparing the hardware for the 8th flight
test, with both the booster and the upper stage undergoing pre
launch testing. This rapid iteration process is
a cornerstone of Spacex's approach to developing what
envisions is a fully reusable space transport system capable
of supporting missions to Mars and beyond.
Now, the Starship program, which aims to make life multi
planetary, continues to be the most powerful rocket ever
constructed. Each flight test provides
critical data that informs future improvements.
SpaceX has already begun reviewing the data from Flight 7
to determine the precise cause of the anomaly.
This review will be conducted in the collaboration with the FAA
and the findings will be used to implement corrective actions for
subsequent missions. Now the scale of the explosion
though significant, it's not unusual for a development stage
spacecraft of this complexity. Starship, which is powered by
liquid oxygen and liquid methane, represents A next
generation design focused on full reusability.
The integration of the booster successful return and catch
mechanism with the upper stages mission to space is a
challenging engineering fee. The SpaceX continues to revine
with each test flight. Now Spacex's progress and
reusability has been steady, particularly with the success of
the Super Heavy booster. Catching a rocket stage with the
launch towers arms reduces the need for ocean landings or
barges, which is a method used for the Falcon 9 rocket and also
Blue Origins New Glen rocket. This approach aligns with
Spacex's overreaching goal of reducing the cost of space
travel and making high frequency launches more economically
viable. Now, the decision to conduct a
hot stage separation is another example of the program's
innovative approach. This method increases efficiency
by reducing the time required for stage separation also
introduces new technological challenges.
SpaceX engineers will likely focus on how the hostage
separation is Subsequent ignition of the upper stage
engines may have contributed to this anomaly.
The aftermath of the Starship explosion has drawn attention
not only for the fiery upper stage, but also for what it
means for the broader mission of SpaceX.
Musk's remarks suggest that SpaceX remains undeterred.
They're going to keep going forward, and it's important to
learn from these failures. The rapid pace of testing allows
the company to iterate quickly, addressing issues and
implementing fixes in a matter of weeks rather than months.
Now, SpaceX analyzes the telemetry and video data from
Flight 7. The lessons learned will
undoubtedly shape the design and procedures for future launches.
Now must Comments about fire suppression and event capacity
suggest that changes will be made to prevent similar
incidents from occurring in the future.
These adjustments, while technical, are crucial for
advancing the reliability and safety of Starship.
If he's involvement in the investigation is important, the
regulatory oversight committee and they do it for all of
spaceflight coming from the United States.
And while SpaceX has led the charge in reusable rockets, it
operates with any framework designed to prioritize public
safety. The agency's role is certifying
launch operations ensures that lessons from incidents like this
one are shared across the industry, contributing to the
collective advancement of space technology.
Now, the high stakes game of Super Heavy rockets is real.
The rocket is central to several of the company's key missions,
including deploying the next generation of Starling
satellites and conducting missions for NASA.
Starship is slated to play a pivotal role in the art of this
program, which aims to return humans to the moon later this
decade. Reminder of the challenges with
all rocketry. Every test flight is a balance
between risk and reward, with a potential for groundbreaking
achievements often accompanied by groundbreaking setbacks like
maybe a giant rocket blowing up over the ocean.
But for SpaceX, the path to a fully reusable space
transportation system is paved with lessons learned from both
success and failure from earlier flights.
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