Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode
of the Elon Musk podcast. Today we're peeling back the
curtain a little bit on Spacex's grand plans and a little bit of
drama that's going on with the next generation of their
spacecraft. The Starship.
Seems like Elon Musk and the SpaceX team are also pushing
boundaries down at Boca Chica Starbase, Texas.
From successfully landing and reusing Falcon 9 rocket boosters
to planning uncrued missions to Mars, this company has been
hitting milestone after milestone and continues to
progress day in, day out. But things haven't always moved
smoothly, and timelines often stretch beyond original
projections. In this episode, we'll discuss
the hurdles, updates, and future plans of Spacex's Starship.
Now, SpaceX has established itself as a pioneer in the
commercial space sector. Last year, the company managed
to conduct 70 launches using Falcon 9 rockets, each featuring
a reusable booster stage, and this innovation and reusability
has significantly cut down costs, allowing for more
frequent launch schedules. However, Musk is not a stranger
to setbacks. Promises of timelines often
outpace actual progress, and ambitious projects can run into
delays. Back in 2016, during an
International Astronomical Congress and Guadalajara,
Mexico, Musk revealed Spacex's initial designs for what was
then called the Interplanetary Transport System or the ITS aim
was for the first uncrewed landing on Mars to occur in
2022, followed by the 1st flight with people on board in 2024.
Fast forward to today, and although there has been a test
flight of Starship, it didn't go very smoothly.
The spacecraft lost control during its ascent, leading to
its detonation for safety reasons.
Now a second Starship is already on standby.
According to Musk, the next move now depends on the Federal
Aviation Administration, which is expected to issue a new
launch license sometime soon, And Musk shared some updates on
Starship design. The second stage engines will
ignite before separation from the booster, this time, a
procedure known as hot staging, designed for maximum efficiency.
But it's also a complicated operation that could lead to
unexpected challenges. And while SpaceX has been known
for its engineering progress, navigating through regulatory
frameworks remains very challenging.
The company is currently awaiting approval from the FAA
for the next IFT 2 Starship test flight from Boca Chica Starbase,
Texas. And this isn't the only
regulatory hurdle, though. The US Fish and Wildlife Service
has received a final biological assessment from the FAA,
initiating a 30 day review period that could be extended to
the spring of 2024 under certain conditions and according to the
Fish and Wildlife Service, reinitiation of formal
consultation under the Endangered Species Act is
necessary when there's significant change in a project
and its impacts. This review is a result of
Spacex's newly implemented Water Dillard system, part of a list
of 63 corrective actions recommended after the
unsuccessful launch of the first Starship test flight.
This new system has already been deployed during static fire
tests of Booster 9, which is set to be the next SpaceX launch
vehicle, and Elon Musk is no longer explicitly stating that
humans will be on Mars by 2024. However, he does have other
ambitious plans for Starship. One such goal is the quick turn
around between launches, which would involve catching the Super
heavy booster in the Starship upper stage in mid air after
they returned from the missions. Musk says that it's a decent
chance of this happening within the next year.
Now. Additionally, SpaceX is planning
to launch its next generation Starlink satellites using
expendable versions of the Starship.
Now, the question that still remains unanswered is when will
Starship land NASA astronauts on the moon?
While Musk acknowledged that a lunar Lander version is in the
works, he emphasized that the design will not deviate much
from a spacecraft intended for Mars missions.
Now Artemis 3, NASA's program to land astronauts on the moon, is
currently scheduled for late 2025, but it could be pushed
back further. Spacex's Starship was chosen as
the human landing system for this mission, and a senior
SpaceX official noted that there is a backlog with FAA work
leading to delays in the licensing progress in the
process and Starship. This could have ripple effects
in the art of his program's timeline as well, and there's
also political pressure mounting for SpaceX, especially as its
vice president of build and flight reliability is set to
testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Space and
Science. This hearing will likely cover a
range of issues, from suborbital flights to lunar surface
habitats, and is crucial for SpaceX.
As it continues to push the envelope in space exploration
technologies. And in the labyrinth of these
regulations and bureaucratic obstacles, SpaceX is finding
itself at the crossroads of innovation and policy.
This testimony isn't just about SpaceX, it's a marker for the
entire industries. Companies like Blue Origin,
Virgin Galactic, and others will also weigh in shaping the
conversation from suborbital tourism to long term lunar
habitation. Now, this juncture is
particularly pivotal for Spacex's Starship program.
The Human Landing system for NASA's Artemis missions is in
play here, and according to SpaceX officials, the snail's
pace of FAA approvals has become a critical path item, putting
pressure on an already challenging Artemis timeline.
Now, the need for a series of demonstration flights, ranging
from ship to ship refueling to uncrewed lunar landings means
that the FAA's foot dragging could stretch these critical
months into very critical years. And to navigate these hurdles,
SpaceX and its industry counterparts will have to
advocate not just for the individual ventures, but for a
more streamlined regulatory framework that accommodates the
unique demands and potentials of commercial spaceflight.
Now, this is not just about reaching Mars or going back to
the moon. It's about shaping the rules and
the expectations that will govern humanity's access to
space for decades to come, not just for astronauts, but for
normal people like you and me. And as SpaceX deals with an ever
changing timetable subject to the whims of regulatory bodies
and the realities of technological innovation, they
find themselves in a challenging yet pivotal position.
Musk's dreams of interplanetary travel in a new aerospace
exploration hinged not only on the hardware his company is so
adept at creating, but also on a broader regulatory environment
that is agile enough to keep pace with the speed of modern
innovation. Now, thank you so much for
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