Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast. This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, The Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink, and I'm your host, Will Walden. SpaceX is actively preparing for the third flight of its colossal Starship rocket following the completion of a static fire test of Ship 28 in the positioning of Booster 10 at the Starbase launch site in South Texas.
Now this progress comes just one month after the second flight of Starship. With the upcoming test potentially including an all in space propellant transfer and a controlled landing in the ocean near Hawaii A SpaceX conducted a successful static fire test of Ship 28 six Raptor engines showing no evident damage to the rocket or the ground equipment. Now concurrently, Booster 10 was moved to the launchpad and conducted fueling and a possible ground systems problem.
The test was scrubbed. Now following these tests, SpaceX plans to stack the Starship upper stage. A top Booster 10 nearing completion of the launch vehicle for the integrated flight Test 3 and the third Starship flight aims to advance its flight profile, including a controlled ocean landing and possibly an in space propellant transfer, though this remains unconfirmed now.
The second Starship launch in November demonstrated marked improvements over the first attempt, notably in engine reliability in the execution of a complex hot staging maneuver. Kathy Leaders, Spacex's general manager for the Starship launch site, hinted at targeting the first quarter of the next year for the third test flight, aligning with the company's ambitious schedule. And post second flight, SpaceX has made minimal hardware modifications, suggesting
software related issues. Regulatory approval from the FAA is still pending following their designation of the second flight as a mishap, and Ship 28 and Booster Ten were swiftly transferred to the launch site following the second flight, with Ship 28 undergoing a series of tests, including a spin prime test. Spacex's dismantling of suborbital Pad A to build a second launch tower suggests a shift in testing locations, potentially centralizing engine
tests at the Massey's facility. Primarily, tests with Booster 10 involve partial fueling followed by a lengthy hold and eventual safety pressurization, indicating ongoing diagnostic processes. No word on if the ground systems were affected during this testing. At SpaceX is waiting for FAA approval for the third flight, having conducted the six engine fire test to have shipped 28 at the Starbase facility, and the Super heavy flight intends to reach orbit and splash down near Hawaii.
With NASA already planning to use a modified Starship for lunar landings and potential crude missions to Mars, recent inspections by Elon Musk reveal the Starship Launchpad's robustness, requiring no refurbishment post launch, a significant improvement from the first Test flight's pad
destruction. Despite 2 explosions in the second flight, the Starship's upper stage achieved separation and Space Flight, albeit not reaching orbit, and the launchpad remained intact, signaling readiness for future attempts. Now, NASA's commitment to using Starship for the Artemis 3 lunar mission hinges on successful orbital tests in flight refueling and a lunar landing
test. With SpaceX transitioning from Texas tests to operational flights from Kennedy Space Center or KSC, SpaceX is innovating with the Megazilla Launch integration tower and the Twin Chopsticks arms at both Texas and KSC sites, aiming for quick turn around and booster landing capabilities sometime in the future.
And SpaceX is constructing a second crew capable launch tower at Cape Canaveral, replicating Texas pad improvements with NASA and the FAA closely monitoring and regulating starships development for future commercial launches. Hey, thank you so much for listening today. I really do appreciate your support. If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening on right now, I greatly appreciate it.
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