It's not by chance that Elon Musk has a lot of enemies, and all of them are names with
global influence. The reason is very simple. His rocket company SpaceX is developing at an
incredible pace, capable of beating any legacy company including ULA and Boeing.
Furthermore, with the trump card of Starship, Elon Musk's influence could extend beyond space
travel into military and political realms. It is truly what his rivals are concerned about the most.
That concern has grown since the FAA just revealed Starship's critically important
point-to-point mission, playing an important role in enhancing international security
cooperation against China's rise. Find out everything in today's TechMap episode.
But before we begin, let's subscribe to the channel to stay up to date with the latest space
news. Starship's Flight 4 marks a significant milestone in SpaceX's development of its next
generation rocket. On June 6, 2024, the mission achieved its primary objectives,
including a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, representing the first successful
soft landing of both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage. The achievement
makes SpaceX eager to expand its testing campaign. The new plan will add one more landing site for
Starship, which is in the sea off Australia's coast, and recover it on Australian territory.
The launch site remains a SpaceX facility in Texas. Also, the FAA's draft environmental review
of SpaceX's Starship operations unveiled the potential landing sites of Starship.
Super Heavy would land on a drone ship or continue to be expended in the Gulf of Mexico.
Starship could land on a drone ship, floating platform, or be expended in any of the four
landing areas, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, and the Northeast Pacific Ocean,
or the Southeast Pacific Ocean. This could pave the way for SpaceX's plan on the Australian coast.
This initiative represents a potential expansion of SpaceX's operations in the region,
which aligns with broader security and military cooperation between the U.S.
and Australia. To facilitate this plan, there is a need to loosen U.S. export controls on advanced
space technologies destined for Australia. This adjustment is crucial for ensuring compliance
with regulations governing the transfer of sensitive technologies.
The discussions are taking place amid efforts to strengthen military ties between the U.S.
and Australia, particularly in light of regional security concerns regarding China.
The U.S. administration has been working to ease similar restrictions as part of the
AUKUS Security Alliance, which includes Australia and the U.K. SpaceX's proposed plan to land and
is seen as the first phase of a potentially larger future presence for the company in the region.
In the future, there could be another option, such as launching from Australian facilities
or land-based booster recoveries. Historically, SpaceX tested its Falcon 9 landings at sea before
transitioning to land. According to the sources, discussions are in the early stages regarding
expanded possibilities. The sources also indicate that towing Starship to a nearby
port on Australia's western or northern coasts after an ocean landing or barge landing would be
the ideal scenario. However, this also poses some challenges due to the huge size of the rocket.
Thus, more specific plans and locations are still being determined as the talks are ongoing.
Starship is a two-stage rocket system developed by SpaceX standing at 400 feet
approximately 120 meters tall and designed to be fully reusable. It's truly an impressive size of
human-made object, and the company is even targeting to break a new record with the rocket.
In a tweet posted in May, Elon Musk even highlighted that the Starship stack will
probably approach roughly 140 meters, compared to the current one is 120 meters over time.
Could you imagine that the future rocket will even be taller than the largest and most famous
of all the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Pyramid at Giza, which stands at 137 meters?
Not only challenging in scale, Starship wants to reach the limits of modern technology.
The tech billionaire Elon Musk has frequently spoken of his desire to establish a permanent
human colony on Mars in his lifetime, which he hopes to achieve before 2050. To succeed,
Mr. Musk has plans to build a fleet of hundreds of Starship rockets, each capable of rapid reuse
after launching as an airplane. Starship is the largest rocket ever built at 121 meters in height
and 9 meters in diameter. Of course, with the rocket's evolution, those numbers will be
increased significantly, while the Starship's giant size can help it bring more payload,
cutting the cost and turnaround time. This poses some challenges for the transport phase.
The transportation of such large components requires careful planning and coordination,
especially considering the potential for weather disruptions or other logistical
challenges at the launch site. Since Starship is in its early stages of development,
we've only seen SpaceX roll out it to the launch site before launch or test. SpaceX transports the
rocket to the launch site using a combination of specialized vehicles and infrastructure,
designed to handle its massive size and weight. Normally, the Starship and its booster,
Super Heavy, are separately transported to the launch pad using a massive transport vehicle
known as the Self-Propelled Modular Transporter, SPMT. This vehicle is capable of moving the heavy
and oversized components across the launch facility at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.
Once at the launch pad, the Starship is positioned for integration with ground support equipment.
This includes connecting to fuel lines and other necessary systems for pre-launch checks and static
fire tests. However, as part of SpaceX's efforts toward Starship reuse, streamlining operations,
and preparing for regular rocket launches, they also have to consider how they transport the
This is very important as SpaceX plans to increase the frequency of Starship launches
and expand the rocket's landing zone. According to the new draft of the Environmental Assessment
for SpaceX Starship, Super Heavy released by the FAA, SpaceX proposes to increase Starship
Super Heavy landings from up to 10 annual Starship landings and up to 5 annual Super Heavy landings
to up to 25 Super Heavy landings and up to 25 Starship landings annually. To keep up with that
high landing frequency, in addition to landing at the vertical launch area,
meaning the two-orbital launch tower, the rocket also can land on floating platforms in the ocean.
In 2020, the company, via a subsidiary, bought two retired deepwater oil rigs to convert them
into floating launch and landing platforms for the Starship rocket system. The platforms,
stationed in the Gulf of Mexico near Boca Chica, Texas, would have enabled rapid launch cadence
and flights from optimal locations. Although the project was temporarily cancelled in February 2023
because SpaceX was first focused on gaining flight experience with Starship before pursuing
sea-based solutions, in October of the same year they brought the project back from the dead.
It does make clear their intention to have the Mechazilla towers at sea. However,
the FAA is concerned that the increase in launch cadence would impact the environment,
including air quality. When considering the air quality effect of Starship landings,
SpaceX expects residual liquid oxygen and methane to remain on Starship,
but both of them are not hazardous air pollutants, and whatever remains in the
tanks will be vented. It then says, quote, after landing and safing, the break-over
fixture assembly controlled supported drop from vertical to horizontal of the Starship
would commence. This essentially implies that after landing, Starship will be turned from
vertical to horizontal for transport over water. It would be interesting to see what kind of
hardware would be used for such a move. The horizontal transport method is particularly
advantageous for moving the Starship over water. This is essential for operations where the vehicle
lands offshore, as it allows for safer and more stable transportation to the launch site or
recovery area. In scenarios where the Starship needs to be transported from one launch site to
another, such as from Starbase to Cape Canaveral, Elon Musk has mentioned that a barge would be
employed for this purpose. The Starship would be transported in a horizontal position to accommodate
its size and structural integrity during transit. More importantly, this method is very effective
for the transport in the long distance. At the end of July, SpaceX was in the headlines since
it was in talks with US and Australian officials to land and recover one of its Starship rockets
off Australia's coast. This is a possible first step toward a bigger presence for Elon Musk's
company in the region, as the two countries bolster security ties. The plan would be to launch Starship
from a SpaceX facility in Texas, land it in the sea off Australia's coast, and recover it on
Australian territory. However, there are a lot of very strict military-related stuff regulatory
hurdlers and stuff that stops space. Therefore, getting permission to do so would require
loosening US export controls on sophisticated space technologies bound for Australia. Towing
Starship after it has landed in the ocean or on a barge to a nearby port on Australia's western
or northern coasts would be ideal, though more specific plans and locations are still being
discussed. If the plan succeeds, this could further demonstrate Starship's capability of
point-to-point delivery around the world in under one hour. This is incredibly amazing.
Starship's great potential has caught the eyes of the national agency,
including the Pentagon. In 2022, the US Air Force awarded SpaceX a $102 million five-year
contract to demonstrate technologies and capabilities to transport military cargo
and humanitarian aid around the world on a heavy rocket. A Starship launch from Texas
and landing off Australia could further demonstrate point-to-point delivery.
The choice of Starship for this project was based on optimism about SpaceX's launch speed
and rocket reusability, which would dramatically change the business situation. At this point,
Starship dwarfs the Air Force's C-17 cargo plane. The rocket in the first version can carry from
100 to 150 tons to LEO, suitable for carrying military cargo. C-17 also can move 100 tons,
but it can't get all the way around the planet in 90 minutes as a rocket. So why don't use rockets?
Furthermore, Starship is versatile as it will be modified into various variants that serve
many various purposes, such as cargo or crew transport, fuel depot, satellite launch,
or suborbital travel. The Air Force Research Laboratory and SpaceX have been digging through
different scenarios for the use of the company's giant rocket Starship for rapid global cargo
transportation. The Pentagon since the dawn of spaceflight has been intrigued by the possibility
of moving supplies via rockets, but it was never technologically or economically viable.
But now with SpaceX Starship, the dream has almost come true. Nevertheless, like any ambitious
project, the rocket cargo faces significant technical hurdles and questions about the safety
of having rockets drop cargo and whether the economics will ever work. Just like reusable
rockets were met with doubts about feasibility and cost, rocket cargo just needs time to mature.
Starship is a very different animal than any rocket that has ever been built.
Gary Henry, a former Boeing executive, and now a SpaceX senior advisor for National Security
Space Solutions, shared that rocket cargo point to point is not the reason we're building Starship.
We're building Starship to get to Mars. And what we're finding is that this is a system that has
profound impacts on national security. And one of them just happens to be rocket point to point.
He added, if the government wanted to buy a dedicated Starship rocket, it could, he said.
But from our perspective, if you want to fully leverage the commercial attributes of a Starship
or any launcher that's out there operating commercially, you want to buy it as a service.
While for Starship, SpaceX only intends to add one more location. For Crew Dragon,
they will completely change the spacecraft's landing site. Indeed, SpaceX is moving Crew
Dragon splashdowns from the Atlantic Ocean to the West Coast starting in 2025 after multiple
space debris incidents. Crew the 9th of May be the final NASA-led ISS mission to arrive in the
ocean near the US East Coast aboard Crew Dragon. The change comes from the repeated issues with
large chunks of debris from Dragon trunks where the fuel and electrical supplies are held that
have repeatedly crashed down in areas ranging from Australia to North Carolina. Since the
introduction of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and its cargo variant, the trunk section has been
released before the deorbit burn, re-entering passively weeks to months later. SpaceX said it
chose this option after the company, working with NASA, used industry-standard model that predicted
that the trunk would break up completely on re-entry, with no debris surviving. That has not
been the case. On several occasions, sizable pieces of debris from Dragon trunks have survived re-entry
and landed in Australia, Saskatchewan, and North Carolina, among other places. The debris falls
caused no damage or injuries, but illustrated the risk they posed. One measure to fix that will be
tasking future spacecraft after Crew 9, perhaps as soon as Crew 10, to splash down on the US Pacific
Coast. Aside from less space junk, the Pacific Coast tends to be subject to fewer instances of
extreme weather and hurricanes, potentially adding more predictability for scheduling the end of Crew
missions. The challenges of that approach include the use of additional propellant to do the deorbit
burn while the trunk is still attached, and then figuring out how to best separate the trunk after
the burn. Additionally, it does pose new problems for Dragon recovery operations. NASA gave SpaceX
new requirements, starting with CRS-21, for even tighter return timelines and enhanced science
capability. That's the new challenge ahead of SpaceX now and what they have been working through
here this year is how they come back to the West Coast but still maintain all of what they have
learned and stand up to support crews, not just cargo. This is in terms of quick handover of
science payloads after splashdown. Aside from Starship's transportation mechanism, have you
ever wondered how SpaceX transports its other rocket, the Falcon 9, across the country? SpaceX's
Falcon 9 rockets are manufactured in Hawthorne, California and transported to Cape Canaveral,
Florida for launches. This journey covers approximately 2,500 miles and involves several
logistical steps such as the various components of the Falcon 9, including the first stage,
second stage, fairings, and landing gear, are transported separately on large semi-tractor
trailer trucks. Each Merlin engine is sent to McGregor, Texas for inspection and static fire
testing before being returned to Hawthorne for integration with the first stage. After the
engines are attached to the first stage, the fully assembled first stage is transported to Florida
atop a specialized 44-wheeled trailer. This trailer is designed to support the weight and
dimensions of the rocket. The second stage and landing gear are transported separately via
different trucks. SpaceX coordinates the logistics carefully to ensure all components arrive on time
and are ready for assembly. Upon arrival in Florida, the second stage and landing gear are
attached to the first stage. The assembled rocket is then moved to the launch pad, where it is
hoisted into a vertical position for final preparations before launch. This meticulous
transportation and assembly process emphasizes SpaceX's commitment to efficiency and safety in
preparing their rockets for flight. Because only Falcon 9's second stage is expendable, so after
launching, SpaceX tends to recover the remaining components, including fairing and the first stage.
The fairing halves come down with parachutes. Initially, SpaceX used ships with large nets to
catch them before they hit the water. They later determined that they could allow them to land in
the water and retrieve them and still get good reusability. For the first stage, SpaceX operates
a fleet of ocean-going autonomous spaceport drone ships for Falcon 9 missions that are not capable
of landing back at the launch site. Falcon 9 missions may require a drone ship landing instead
of a return to the launch site due to the weight of the payload or the overall mission profile.
SpaceX has three operational drone ships, just read the instructions and a shortfall of Gravitas,
operating in the Atlantic for launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station, and, of course, I still love you, operating in the Pacific for supporting
missions from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Just read the instructions operated in the Pacific
Ocean for Vandenberg Air Force Base launches from 2016 to 2019 before leaving the port of Los Angeles
in August 2019. The autonomous spaceport drone ships is a key early component of SpaceX's
objective to significantly lower the price of space launch services through full and rapid
reusability. Part of the multi-year reusable rocket development program engineered by SpaceX,
SpaceX offers three options depending on launch requirements, landing on land, landing at sea,
or expending the first stage. In order to increase performance and cost, any Falcon
flights launched into geostationary orbit or exceeding escape velocity require landing at sea
or expending the first stage. Less demanding launches from Florida can return to landing
zones one and two at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, while less demanding launches from
California can return to landing zone four. Around three-quarters of recovered Falcon boosters
land at sea as of 2022. And that just about wraps it up for today's episode.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you next time.
