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. SpaceX is preparing to launch
its powerful Starship rockets from multiple sites in Florida,
with the Federal Aviation Administration, or the FAA
initiating a new environmental review for Spacex's operations
and NASA's Kennedy Space Center at KSC.
This review, announced on May 10th, will evaluate Spacex's
plans for launching Starships from Lodge Complex 39 A now
simultaneously, the US Space Force is conducting a similar
Environmental Impact statement, or EIS, for Spacex's proposal to
use Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral.
Space Forestation SLC 37 recently became available after
ULA last Delta rocket mission. These environmental reviews are
crucial for Spacex's goal to have operational Starship launch
sites in Florida by the end of 2025.
Sometimes these reviews take a couple of years and the FA as
decision on Spacex's proposals will follow these environmental
reviews. Subsequently, the FAA will
conduct a separate licensing process similar to how it
licensed the 1st 3 Starship launches from South Texas.
This process is essential for ensuring public safety and
compliance with environmental laws.
SpaceX has significant contracts with NASA worth over $4 billion
to develop a version of Starship capable of landing astronauts on
the moon. And for this mission, SpaceX
plans to use a series of Starship tanker flights to
refuel a lunar Lander in low Earth orbit, necessitating
multiple launches from at least two pads, potentially
alternating between Texas and Florida.
And in order for all of this to work, NASA is working with
SpaceX to make sure that the timeline, the EIS timeline, and
NASA's all work in parallel as much as they can.
SpaceX aims to perform a dress rehearsal for the Starship lunar
Lander in about late 2025. This will involve refueling
missions in uncrewed lunar landing and a subsequent takeoff
from the moon. The first human flight in the
Artemis mission using Starship is slated for around 2029.
Now Artemis 3, and despite the environmental review process,
SpaceX faces numerous technical challenge in orbit.
Refueling is one of them, and a habitable crew cabin for
astronauts as well. These tasks are complex and time
consuming, could take years, but they're essential for the
success of the Artemis program. In addition to these technical
hurdles, SpaceX must construct new Starship pads.
While some infrastructure exists on LC39A, critical components
like propellant storage and fueling systems are not quite in
place yet. This construction must proceed
within the scope of the 2019 environmental assessment until
further approval. Now, the Artemis program
involves more than just SpaceX. Axiom Space is developing a new
space suit for astronauts and NASA Space Launch System.
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are essential for
transporting astronauts to the Moon.
These elements must be ready to ensure a timely lunar landing
mission. Now at Launch Complex 39, A
SpaceX had already initiated the construction of a Starship
launch tower, which is a structure that stands over 450
feet tall. However, this is just the
beginning. For the launch site to be fully
operational, significant additional infrastructure is
required. This includes comprehensive
propellant storage systems that can house the vast quantities of
cryogenic fuels needed for Starship launches.
The storage systems must be capable of handling the specific
requirements of methane and liquid oxygen, the fuels used by
starship's Raptor engines. Now Furthermore, fueling
infrastructure at LC39A is crucial for efficient and safe
launch operations. This involves constructing
pipelines, pumps, and safety systems to manage the highly
volatile fuels, and the current state of the site lacks these
integral systems, which are necessary for transferring the
fuels from storage tanks to the rocket.
And without this infrastructure, SpaceX cannot proceed with the
frequent and reliable launch schedule innovations for
Starship missions, both for NASA's Artemis program and other
commercial endeavors in the future.
Now the ongoing construction work at LC39A must adhere to the
guidelines set forth in the 2019 Environmental Assessment.
Any significant changes or additions to the original plans
require further environmental review and approval from NASA
and the FAA, and this regulatory framework ensures that the
development does not adversely affect the surrounding
environment and it complies with federal laws.
Now NASA has emphasized the SpaceX, as a tenant of this LC
39 area, must receive prior approval for any construction
related to starships launch and landing facilities.
This is rigorous oversight involved in developing such a
significant launch site for such a massive rocket.
But beyond the infrastructure, SpaceX is also considering
implementing a water deluge system at LC39A.
The system is designed to mitigate the extreme acoustic
and thermal forces generated during a rocket launch by
flooding the pad with water. Such system is vital for
protecting the launchpad structures and minimizing damage
from the inverse vibrations and heat.
This addition, derived from lessons learned during test
flights in Texas, demonstrates that SpaceX is approached is
refining the launch infrastructure.
Now, however, incorporating the system will also require careful
planning and possibly further environmental assessments to
ensure it meets regulatory standards and effectively
supports the high launch frequency the SpaceX aims for.
The FAA's Commercial Space Office is truly underfunded,
impacting the speed of the review process in Florida.
SpaceX has advocated for increasing funding to expedite
the licensing process, which is critical for the timely launch
of Starship missions. Now, the fact that it takes
years for this to happen is not a good thing, and in a scenario
where SpaceX is ready for lunar missions Bolex FAE approval for
Florida launches, they may just launch these from Texas.
However, the preferred plan remains to utilize both Texas
and Florida launch sites. SpaceX is 20 year lease for
LC39A, which is signed in 2014, has already seen 83 missions
launched from the pad with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
rockets. Previous environmental
assessments from 2019 must be updated to reflect Spacex's
current launch plans, which now project up to 44 Starship
flights per year. The proposed Super Heavy booster
will also feature more engines than initially planned,
requiring revised environmental evaluations.
Now SpaceX is iterative development model for Starship
and involves continuous testing and improvement.
Its approach necessitates significant infrastructure at
its primary development site, which is in Starbase, Texas.
SpaceX is expanding its facility there to support higher
production and also higher launch rates.
Now Kathy leaders said that they have 3000 employees working at
Starbase now. It's intended to be a permanent
site for Starship production and testing, with additional
launchpads and assembly buildings under construction
right now. And while Starbase is the
primary development site, SpaceX plans to operate launchpads in
Florida to meet its mission demands.
This includes ongoing constructions and new facilities
AT39A, and also SLC 37 and SLC 50.
To support the high launch frequency needed for Starship
missions to lower Earth orbit, to the Moon and to Mars, SpaceX
is shifting plans for Starship in Florida reflect the company's
adaptive approach. Initial plans to use the mobile
offshore platforms for launches have been set aside.
They sold those, and instead SpaceX is focusing on fixed
launchpads and established space ports like Cape Canaveral.
The development of Starship infrastructure in Florida will
enable SpaceX to achieve the launch cadence required for both
NASA's Artemis missions and commercial ventures like
Starlink satellite deployments. Further expansions may include a
rocket factory at Florida's Space Coast to support these
operations. Ultimately, the success of
Spacex's plans hinges on timely regulatory approvals,
technological advancements in the seamless integration of
various mission elements, all of which are essential for the
future of human space exploration.
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