'Launching three times a day': Elon Musk's Starship update explained

Speaker 1: 50 rocket launches a year, a new Starship built every month and one day Starship rockets launching three times a day, Elon Musk and SpaceX put on a show in Texas outlining some pretty ambitious goals for the Starship. But the one big question we're all asking, when is this rocket into orbit? Well, here's everything you need to know. Speaker 2: Eventually the sun will expand and destroy all [00:00:30] life. So for those who really care about not just the humans, but all the life on earth, it is very important. Essential that over the long term that we become a multi planet species, ultimately even go beyond the solar system and bring life with us. Speaker 1: Inland Musk has been talking about making humans a multi-planetary species for a few years now, but the SpaceX founder took to the stage in Boca, Chica, Texas, to tell the world how he plans on doing it with the Starship and an ambitious production [00:01:00] and launch cycle for the rocket. It, that will take humans to the moon, Mars and beyond standing on stage with the fully stacked Starship behind him. Musk also talked about a timeline towards the first orbit launch. It's the first time Musk has updated the world on this massive rocket in about two years. The last time he showed off the Starship, the rocket was the much smaller mark. One prototype. This new presentation was essentially a rundown on all the progress the company has made [00:01:30] since we saw that mark one, and we got some juicy new details, as well as a look at SpaceX's vision for human space flight. Speaker 1: That vision includes a fully reusable booster that the Starship into space before gracefully coming back down to land on earth, it includes a second Starship docking together with the launch vehicle to refill it. While in orbit, according to mosque, that refill will be essential to get the Starship out into deep space, to places like [00:02:00] Mars and when the Starship gets well. SpaceX has a vision for that too. A self-sustaining city with multiple starships descending down onto landing pads on the Martian surface. Of course, all of this is a very long way off. The furthest. The Starship has flown is a few miles off the surface of earth in its test flights and of prototypes didn't even make it that far, but SpaceX isn't deterred [00:02:30] Musk says a high production rate will be essential to meeting its goals for human space flight. That includes making one full stack, including the Starship and its booster every month. And then potentially every three days. SpaceX also wants to increase production on its Raptor. Engine Musk showed off the newly improved Raptor V2 engine saying the company eventually plans to build seven of these engines a week or one a day. Speaker 2: You know, view one looks like kinda like a Christmas tree spaghetti [00:03:00] pile. Um, a lot of, lot of fidly bits, um, and V2 is greatly simplified while also increasing thrust at the same time Speaker 1: While these might be long term goals, SpaceX also has its eyes set on something that could come much sooner. The starships first orbital flight, the company is still waiting for approval from the federal aviation administration. But according to mask, SpaceX has had a rough indication [00:03:30] that that could come. As soon as March. The company is also aiming to have the Starship hardware ready to fly at the same time as regular laboratory approval comes through. Meaning we could see a Starship orbital flight in just a couple of months from there. Well, SpaceX is aiming for 50 launches this year or an average of one launch a week. That's double the figure it projected less than a year ago. Musk also said that optimist, the [00:04:00] first test of orbital refilling could come towards the end of next year. Well, Musk is nothing if not optimistic. And the biggest of the big, hairy audacious goals that he announced was a plan to launch. Starships three times a day. Speaker 2: The Brewster actually, even though it's gigantic, uh, will come back in about minutes. Um, excitement guarantee the ship, uh, has to complete at least one orbit around earth and sometimes, uh, [00:04:30] maybe three orbits or, or more, uh, and each orbit is 90 minutes. So the ship, uh, is probably, you know, reusable about every, uh, six, six to eight hours. In, in theory, the, the booster is capable of being, uh, reused every hour. Speaker 1: Of course, it'll be a while before we're launching a Starship over breakfast, lunch and dinner. SpaceX still has to get its first rocket into orbit. But if SpaceX has its way, the Starship could [00:05:00] truly become a first fully reusable transport system that turns us into a multi planetary species.