1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,400 SpaceX flew Starship 5 times in 2025. 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,720 Only two of those flights ended with the ship in one piece. 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,000 The first 3 attempts of the year all failed. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:13,040 During ascent, ship 33 developed a harmonic response in its F 5 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,640 section and burned up over the Turks and Caicos. 6 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,240 Ship 34 caught fire in the engine compartment due to 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:20,920 incorrectly preloaded engine mount bolts. 8 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,440 Ship 35 lost control after a methane pressurization leak and 9 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,880 tow into re entry. Then in June, Ship 36 exploded 10 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:29,560 on the test stand before it even flew. 11 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,360 By the middle of the year, SpaceX has lost four ships in a 12 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,000 row and destroyed the infrastructure needed to test 13 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,520 them. This is the most important 14 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,600 rocket program in America and has spent six months breaking 15 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,440 things. What happened next is the reason 16 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,120 SpaceX remains the most capable launch company on Earth. 17 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:48,480 Flight 10 launched on August 26th. 125 Ship 37 completed 18 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,240 every objective and deployed Starling simulators in orbit, 19 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,320 relayed A Raptor engine in space, survived reentry, and 20 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,320 landed intact in the Indian Ocean. 21 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,480 Flight 11 repeated the success in October, and both vehicles 22 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:01,560 splashed down exactly where they were supposed to. 23 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,720 SpaceX closed the year having recovered from disaster and 24 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,280 proven the block to Starship actually works. 25 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,960 Now they are tearing everything to building something bigger. 26 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:14,160 The story of Starship in 2025 is not just about flight tests, 27 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,320 it's about infrastructure. SpaceX is constructing what may 28 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:20,760 be the largest rocket production and launch complex ever built, 29 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,680 and they're doing it simultaneously in Texas and in 30 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,640 Florida as Starbase Texas. Crews demolished the original 31 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,640 high Bay in the Stargate Building to make room for a new 32 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,400 structure called Giga Bay. The current mega Bay at Star 33 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,080 Base can house a maximum of 6 workstations. 34 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:39,320 Giga Bay will house at least 24 as of the end of December. 35 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:42,160 The structure is at least three levels of steel columns, with at 36 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:44,720 least two more to go before the roof. 37 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,920 A nearly identical Giga Bay is rising and Roberts roads and 38 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,680 floors and the two sites are racing to see which finishes 39 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:53,240 first. These facilities are not 40 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,960 optional upgrades, they're necessary for the next 41 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,640 generation of the vehicle. Block 4 Starship will use an 80m 42 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,000 tall booster compared to the 71 meter boosters flying today. 43 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,200 The current mega bays are not tall enough to build them. 44 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,360 Until the gigabase are complete, SpaceX cannot manufacture the 45 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,880 next block of hardware. The structure and the schedule 46 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,080 for everything that follows, including crude lunar landings, 47 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,120 depends on those buildings going up now. 48 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaking of crews, I've been digging through the analytics of 49 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,200 the show and noticed that 37% of you are following the channel 50 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,120 and are part of this crew. For you I'm forever grateful and 51 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,880 the other 63% haven't hit the follower the subscribe button. 52 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,400 I've been an independent journalist list covering SpaceX, 53 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,080 Elon Musk, and tech for the last six years and I'll continue for 54 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:35,800 the next 10 years with your support. 55 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,040 And all I ask from you is one second of your time to hit the 56 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,880 subscribe button or the follow button on the platform you're 57 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,400 watching on right now. I'm extremely grateful and 58 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:45,640 blessed to have you in this community. 59 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:47,520 Thank you so much for your support. 60 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,160 Now the launch site build out is equally aggressive. 61 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,280 Pad 2 with Starbase is nearly complete. 62 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,040 The tower was fully stacked and around 2024 the launch mount was 63 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,320 installed. In May of 2025. 64 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,400 The side service structure, which houses all the cryo veils, 65 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,760 high pressure lines and electrical systems, looks like 66 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,960 it's finished. This is a new design that will 67 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,440 become the standard for all future Starship pads. 68 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:12,200 Pad 1 supported all 11 full stack flights and even served as 69 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,040 an emergency ship. Static fire stand after the 70 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,520 Massey's explosion was demolished after flight. 71 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,040 It's gone, but it will be rebuilt and reborn to match the 72 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,080 new specifications. Like a Phoenix, it'll rise again 73 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,320 in Florida. LC39A has made substantial 74 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,880 progress after sitting dormant for years following the tower 75 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,720 installation in 2022. After the past year, SpaceX 76 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,320 built a large section of the tank farm, excavated and 77 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,000 constructed the flame trench, and modified the chopsticks. 78 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,280 There's still work to do, but SpaceX is targeting the 79 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,720 second-half of 2026 for the first launch attempt from 80 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,080 Kennedy Space Center. This would be the first Starship 81 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,760 launch from Florida in the first used of a second operational 82 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,480 pad. On December 1st of 2025, X 83 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:58,400 received environmental approval to begin construction on SLC 37, 84 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,200 where two additional launch launch towers will be built. 85 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,080 SLC 37 is historic. It was originally built for the 86 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,720 Saturn in Saturn 1V rockets that preceded Apollo. 87 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,160 It has been inactive for decades, and SpaceX will 88 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,960 transform it into a dual pad Starship complex. 89 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,960 When all this is finished, SpaceX will have 5 operational 90 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:21,320 Starship pads, 2 at star base, one at LC39A, and two at SLC 37. 91 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,320 No other rocket program in history has attempted to build 92 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,120 launch infrastructure at this scale and at this speed. 93 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,720 And for comparison, NASA spent years building a single mobile 94 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,600 launcher for the SLS. Now, getting vehicles from Texas 95 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,680 to Florida will require a new logistics Jade. 96 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,880 SpaceX is preparing to transport completed and tested Starships 97 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,440 horizontally on a barge called Marmac 31. 98 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,600 This barge was recently spotted delivering a liquid oxygen tank 99 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:50,040 to the turning basin near LC39A. What's the gig of a Roberts Rd. 100 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,000 is operational and Star Factory's built. 101 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,680 Florida will be able to produce its own vehicles, but until 102 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,000 then, everything ships from Star Base now. 103 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,440 Block 3 is supposed to open 2026 with a back. 104 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,480 Butt has already hit a set back a bang. 105 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,720 Booster 18, which was slated to fly on Flight 12 alongside Ship 106 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,960 39, suffered a failure during pneumatic pressure testing at 107 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,120 Massey's. A composite overwrapped pressure 108 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,520 vessel, or COPD, appears to have failed, causing the liquid 109 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,080 oxygen tank to rupture, and the booster was destroyed. 110 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,560 SpaceX responded by speed stacking Booster 19 in 26 days, 111 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,640 the faster, fastest booster integration in program history. 112 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,720 The Ship 39 is waiting in Mega Bay 2 for the cryogenic proof 113 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:28,560 station and Massey's to be ready now. 114 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:32,280 Block 3 should be a near clean sheet, redesigned from the 115 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:35,080 booster and significant upgrades for the IT is the vehicle that 116 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,800 will eventually carry crew. The flight test results from 117 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:43,080 2025 tell a story of resilience under pressure. 3 consecutive 118 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,840 ship failures in the first half of the year could have derailed 119 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:47,800 the program. The explosion of ship 36 120 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,160 destroyed critical ground infrastructure and for SpaceX to 121 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,840 improvise a new testing approach and launch bound itself. 122 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,080 The fact that flights 10 and 11 both succeeded suggests the 123 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,920 engineering problems have been solved, at least for Block 2. 124 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,560 Whether Block 3 performs forms as well remains to be seen, and 125 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,720 the program has never gone more than two flights without any 126 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,520 major anomaly. There were also historic 127 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,960 achievements. Flight 7 and 8 both resulted in 128 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,680 successful booster catches, bringing the total to three. 129 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:15,600 Booster 14 came back to the tower on January 16th, 2025, 130 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,640 becoming the second Super Heavy ever caught. 131 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,400 Booster 15 followed on March 6th, becoming the third. 132 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,800 As of the end of 2025, no booster has been caught since. 133 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,240 Flights 10 and 11 both ended with booster splashdowns in the 134 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:29,280 Gulf of Mexico rather than catch attempts. 135 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,920 SpaceX has not publicly explained why they stopped 136 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,760 trying to catch boosters, but the pad demolition and rebuild 137 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,440 likely play a role in this. You can't catch a booster if the 138 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,400 tower is being torn down in the meantime. 139 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,360 Now, Flight 9 marked the first reflight of a Super Heavy 140 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,520 booster. Booster 14 Two completed a 141 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,680 perfect splashdown using 29 reused Raptor engines. 142 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,280 This was a critical milestone for reusability, even though the 143 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:52,960 ship on that flight was completely lost the ability to 144 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,960 fly the same booster twice as foundational to the economics of 145 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,400 the entire program. The boosters cannot be reused. 146 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,680 Starship becomes an expendable vehicle that happens to be 147 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,800 extra, extra large, and Flight 9 proved that reuse is possible. 148 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,240 The next step is proving it works consistently, and. 149 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,160 Flight 11 was the final launch of Block 2 and the final launch 150 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,440 from pad 1 and its original configuration. 151 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:18,520 Ship 38 in booster 15-2 lifted off on October 13, 2025, and 152 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,280 both vehicles completed all objectives. 153 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,920 The booster splashed out in the Gulf, the ship deployed star 154 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,040 simulators relit its Raptor engine in space, survived 155 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,120 reentry, and landed in the Indian Ocean. 156 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,800 It was a fitting end to a chapter that, again with Flight 157 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:34,800 1 in April 2023, the vehicle exploded 4 minutes after 158 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,080 liftoff, and SpaceX celebrated because it cleared the tower. 159 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,840 The ambition is staggering. SpaceX is not just iterating on 160 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:42,560 a rocket. They're building and building 161 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:45,040 and building, and they're building an industrial base 162 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,520 capable of producing and launching Starships at a rate 163 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,000 that would make the vehicle effectively disposable if 164 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,480 needed, or rapidly reusable if the catch system works 165 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,400 consistently. The giga bays are sized to 166 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:56,840 support that vision. The five launch pads are sized 167 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,400 to support that vision. The barge transport system is 168 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,080 designed to keep Florida supplied with vehicles even 169 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,800 before production comes online. Every piece connects in this 170 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,120 vision. Now, whether SpaceX can execute 171 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,280 remains the open question. The Massey's stand is still not 172 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,640 fully operational after the Ship 36 explosion. 173 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,000 That getting to it. Wooster 18 was lost before it 174 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,040 even flew. Ship 39 is waiting on 175 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,560 infrastructure repairs. Block 3 has not completed a 176 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,040 single flight. LC39A has never launched A 177 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,800 Starship. SLC 37 is a construction site. 178 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:27,800 The company is building faster than anyone else. 179 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,640 But building is not the same as flying and Flight 12 will be the 180 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,919 first real test of whether 2026 can deliver on the promise of 181 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:35,919 2025. Now the foundations for this are 182 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:38,840 all laid has to prove they can stand on those foundations. 183 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,120 This is the rocket that will carry humans back to the surface 184 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,640 of the moon and it's still learning how to fly. 185 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,120 SpaceX will succeed and they will eventually get people to 186 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,240 the surface of Mars. Hey, thank you so much for 187 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:52,440 listening today. I really do appreciate your 188 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:53,920 support. If you could take a second and 189 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,360 hit this subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast right 190 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,960 now, I greatly appreciate it. It helps out the show 191 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,400 tremendously and you'll knit and each episode is about 10 minutes 192 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,920 to get you caught up quickly. And please, if you report the 193 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:10,360 show, evenmore.com/stage Zero and please take care of 194 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:12,200 yourselves and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.