Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast. I'm your host, Will Walden, and today we're going to be talking about something that's absolutely at this forefront of space exploration. SpaceX is Starship rocket and the preparations for its next orbital flight. Now, some of you may already be aware that SpaceX is waiting for the Fish and Wildlife Service, the FWS, to give them the green
light for the next launchpad. Now, simultaneously, the company has filed an application with the FCC for communication permissions during the upcoming Starship test flight, expected to commence this coming January. Possibly now, these bureaucratic steps are routine for SpaceX, but what's really intriguing here are the technological leaps, including several upgrades this next test is slated to showcase.
So in today's episode, we'll be talking you through the specifics of the imminent Starship test flight, including major changes to the Rockets design and how these upgrades aim to help this behemoth, the largest and most powerful rocket to date, reach orbit successfully. Now the stakes couldn't be higher. Starship is expected to be the vessel that helps humanity set foot on Mars and return to our nearest neighbor, the moon.
Now, first on the list of big modification is something that's an engineering marvel, the concept of hot staging. Traditionally, rockets execute a stage separation by halting the main engines on the booster and before the second stage even fires up. And however, SpaceX plans to keep Starships engines ignited while it's still essentially attached to the booster, which we refer to as the Super Heavy.
Now, a former SpaceX mission director speculates this will give the rocket a payload increase of about 10%, and to facilitate this, SpaceX has integrated vents and heavy duty heat Shields at the top of the Super heavy booster. This ensures that the flames can escape, preventing the rocket from blowing up mid flight. The method is a bit riskier since the booster could potentially be damaged, but sometimes risk is synonymous with advancement.
Now let's pivot for a moment to talk about another angle of the upcoming Starship test, the focus nature of the FCC application that SpaceX recently filed. Unlike other filings, this one is narrower in scope, specifically seeking approval for communication channels between the Starship booster and the launch site. The absence of other elements like the full Starship vehicle in the application raises some interesting questions.
Could this suggest a series of test runs focusing predominantly on the booster and the paperwork could hint at SpaceX adopting a step by step approach, perhaps focusing initial tests at the first stage before proceeding to comprehensive trials involving the entire rocket system. This would allow SpaceX to ensure that each component of this complex machine is in top shape before the actual orbital flight takes place. Now, the third major change we're discussing today is the
engines. As we all know, the Raptor engine is fundamentally more complex than the Merlin engines that power the Falcon 9. This complexity makes the engine more susceptible to leaks and therefore SpaceX has taken significant steps to improve the valves and seals on the Raptor engines and have seeing the fire suppression systems to manage any potential accidents and make them more efficient.
Now, with 33 Raptor engines powering the first stage booster, we're talking about an incredible level of engineering intricacy. The effort to ensure each of these engines operates optimally is crucial not just for the success of the mission, but also for the long term goals that Starship aims to achieve, including the colonization of Mars and renewed lunar missions with the Artemis program with NASA, let's talk about the visual spectacle this Starship
presents. It's not just the world's largest rocket, but also the one with the most engines on a first stage booster. When these 33 engines light up for a flight again, it's a sight to behold, unrivaled by any current or in development rockets.
Additionally, a hot staging ring will be added to the top of the first stage booster, ensuring the stage separation is a success, and this will address the primary failure point of the last Test in April. And with these numerous upgrades, we're clearly marching toward a future where space travel isn't just a feat of engineering, but also a
mesmerizing spectacle. The 2nd Starship test flight promises not just to correct past mistakes, but to push the envelope on what is possible in rocket design and engineering. Now that wraps up today's episode of the Elon Musk Podcast. Thanks for tuning in to catch up on the latest about SpaceX and the next Starship orbital test flight. If you found this episode informative, don't forget to hit the subscriber follow button on
your favorite podcast platform. It's free and it just takes a second, so please take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you in the next one.