S8 Ep662: 8. Starbase and the Era of the Starship In Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX built Starbase, a massive rocket factory and launch site, from modest beginnings in a swamp. The focus here is on Starship and the Super Heavy booster, a fully reusable system more pow
S8 Ep662: 7. The "Shoot Show" and Returning Humans to Orbit To secure funding for a manned spacecraft, SpaceX relied on Boeing’s participation to legitimize the Commercial Crew Program in Congress. Development of the Crew Dragon involved the "Shoot Show," a team of
S8 Ep662: 6. Starlink: Financing the Road to Mars SpaceX developed the Starlink satellite constellation to provide global internet and generate the massive revenue needed to fund the Mars mission. While LEO constellations were previously deemed impractical, SpaceX
S8 Ep662: 5. Landing Success and the Mystery of Amos-6 In December 2015, SpaceX achieved its first successful land landing at Cape Canaveral, overcoming concerns that the sonic booms might damage nearby spy satellites. However, the company faced a major setback in
S8 Ep662: 4. Innovating for Power and Precision at Sea To increase rocket efficiency, Musk pushed for propellant densification, chilling liquid oxygen to nearly -300°F to fit 10-12% more mass on board. This segment also explores the "Falcon 9 full thrust" version,
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