SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Recap
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Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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. At precisely 4.37 p.m. Central Time, the massive 403-foot-tall Starship system Block II roared to life.

This was 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 in what is known as a hot stage separation, where the upper stage's engines ignite just as the booster finishes its roll. 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. In a moment that showcased the company's reusability strides, the booster performed a controlled descent, 3D,

through its actual plume that flew it to where it was in almost space and it reignited all 13 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 catch tower.

The Mechazilla. 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 six Raptor engines, began its ascent burn towards space. The planned sequence seemed on track until approximately eight and a half minutes into the flight, when telemetry from the vehicle abruptly ceased. Initial data suggests that a fire broke out in the aft section of the spacecraft, ultimately leading to SpaceX describing it as a rapid unscheduled disassembly or a RUD, 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 leak. 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

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 suggests 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 U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or the FAA, said,

which oversees space flight safety, bleep briefly rerouted air traffic in the vicinity, but confirm that normal operations resume shortly afterwards. Now the setback has not slowed SpaceX though. Company has applied for permission to launch Starship up to 25 times this year.

and is determined to get this design operational and reliable. SpaceX is already preparing the hardware for the eighth 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 it envisions as 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 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, is 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's successful return and catch mechanism with the upper stage's mission to space is a challenging engineering feat that SpaceX continues to refine with each test flight.

Now, SpaceX's progress in reusability has been steady, particularly with the success of the Super Heavy booster. Catching a rocket stage with a launch tower's arms reduces the need for ocean landings or barges, which is a method used for the Falcon 9 rocket and also Blue Origin's New Glenn 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, but also introduces new technological challenges. SpaceX engineers will likely focus on how the hot stage separation and 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, as SpaceX analyzes the telemetry and video data from Flight 7, the lessons learned will undoubtedly shape the design and procedures for future launches.

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Musk's 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.

The FAA's involvement in the investigation is important. They're a 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 within a framework designed to prioritize public safety. The agency's role as 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 Starlink satellites and conducting missions for NASA.

Starship is slated to play a pivotal role in the Artemis 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 the 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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