Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s NEW Major Starship Recovery Plan Changed!
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0:00-0:26: Intro
0:27-2:15: New zone landing
2:16-8:09: More powerful rocket
8:10-New Testing site
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#spacex
#elonmusk
#starship
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Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s NEW Major Starship Recovery Plan Changed!
SpaceX launching and landing rockets in the U.S. is something we’re already familiar with. But will Elon Musk just leave it at that?
Of course not! Recently, SpaceX and Elon Musk have expanded their plans to recover Starship in another country, marking a larger presence of Elon Musk’s company worldwide.
Let’s find out on today’s episode of Alpha Tech:
As we know, SpaceX has launched Starship four times from its launch site in South Texas, known as Starbase, and is planning for a fifth launch within the next two months. However, as they continue to test Starship and plan for regular flights, SpaceX will need a higher launch cadence. This is particularly true because the company is unlikely to activate an additional launch pad for Starship in Florida until at least 2026.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s NEW Major Starship Recovery Plan Changed!
To that end, SpaceX has requested the FAA to grant permission for up to 25 flights a year from South Texas, as well as the ability to land both the upper stage of Starship and the Super Heavy booster back at the launch site.
The answer is likely to be yes… On July 28, the FAA signaled that they were inclined to approve this request.
The federal agency released a 154-page “Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment” for an increased cadence of Starship launches from South Texas. In conclusion, the document stated: “The FAA has concluded that the modification of SpaceX’s existing vehicle operator license for Starship/Super Heavy operations conforms to the prior environmental documentation, consistent with the data contained in the 2022 PEA, that there are no significant environmental changes, and all pertinent conditions and requirements of the prior approval have been met or will be met in the current action.”
Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s NEW Major Starship Recovery Plan Changed!
This means that the FAA has found their extensive 2022 analysis of Starship operations on the environment, wildlife, local communities, etc., sufficient to account for the modifications SpaceX is proposing. However, this alone is not enough to make a definitive decision for SpaceX, as this is only milestone number 3 in a seven-part process leading to the final decision. Next up is a series of public meetings, both in person in South Texas and online, throughout August. Then, the public comment period will conclude on August 29.
(2:15)
In addition to increasing the number of launches at Starbase, from the FAA document, we can also recognize another highlight: the landing zones of Starship.
If you’re a SpaceX fan, you probably know the familiar locations where SpaceX frequently lands and recovers Starship rockets. These are the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Hawaii, as mentioned during Starship’s second flight. However, the location near Hawaii’s coast may no longer be feasible for Starship flights. Therefore, besides the Gulf of Mexico, new landing areas have been planned in the Pacific Ocean, specifically in the northeastern Pacific near the coast of California and the southeastern Pacific off the western coast of South America. All these locations are under U.S. jurisdiction, so when SpaceX lands there, they will be free to recover the vehicles.
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