SpaceX Starship Critical Upgrade and New Crazy Test Unveiled!

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Welcome back to another week where you can always guarantee one thing. SpaceX never slows down at Starbase! With a launch site evolving at breakneck speeds, and changes happening to vehicles so quickly it is almost beyond belief. You do not want to miss this one!
You will be amazed with the SpaceX Starship Critical Upgrade with the heat shield already being installed well ahead of what any of us thought possible. The new Pyron shielding is a massive change. Is this new material really that good? Well, we believe it is used on Falcon 9, so lets hope so. Also, a New Crazy Test Unveiled for the tower arms and a booster test prototype to see if it can hold for a catch. This is super exciting. Outside all that, it has actually been a bit of a bizarre week. Unexpected delays, problems to solve, and a huge milestone for Rocket Lab. We have Starlink Group 9-1, Falcon 9 with Astra 1P, Delayed Starliner Return and Rocket Lab's Electron in No Time Toulouse.
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[@MarcusHouse]

Go to ground.news/marcus to get global perspectives on space news, Starship and more. Subscribe through my link for 40% off unlimited access this month.

[@mikerubin3836]

Hey marcus. Do you think it would be effective to use the heat tiles from starship on the orbital launch pad to reduce the damage from a launch

[@andretokayuk8100]

Marcus.. was the Sanchez site named after Rick Sanchez of Rick and Morty? I imagine Elon would have an affinity for the show..

[@InterstellarGateway]

Thanks for featuring us Marcus! 🎉 We're excited for Flight 5!

[@richardvivian3665]

Great views! Well done, I bet you are having a ball setting this up! 😊

[@MarcusHouse]

Thanks for helping us share it in the best way we could. Good luck with the preps for flight 5. That is going to be epic.

[@buildintotrains]

thanks for the work that you do

[@InterstellarGateway]

@@toucheturtle3840 yOu mUsK cLOWnS HaVE n0 iDeA 💀

[@rorykeegan1895]

@@toucheturtle3840 Bugger me but you're boring ....

[@hydrogenbond7303]

Wow the time flies! Already 50 Electron launches is incredible!

[@christopotgieter4197]

"Here at SpaceX, we build cranes to build cranes, to build cranes..."

[@schrodingerscat1863]

I have worked on jobs where we needed to hire a crane to build another crane to then build the huge crane necessary for the job. The size of really heavy lift cranes is breathtaking in itself and putting those things together on site is a complex project in its own right.

[@michaelmicek]

​@@schrodingerscat1863can we ask what you were building?

[@gmancolo]

We're gonna need a bigger crane.

[@andrewdillon7837]

That Lieherr demo is cool ,, cranes picked up by bigger an bigger until 1 crane gets them all ,,prolly has runes on it for extra power

[@andrewdillon7837]

Liebherr evenn,,, 2mins long , starts with toy crane,,,

[@sboutlaw2007]

Good Morning Marcus, great video as always. Looking at several aerospace creators videos here on KZbin who seems to doubt SpaceX will be ready for booster catch. SpaceX has improved on every IFT launch so far so in my opinion I believe SpaceX should take this next step. As we all know SpaceX is not a traditional aerospace company and have overcome great odds in the past.

[@MarcusHouse]

They are happy to take risk. You never know, perhaps they have a spare set of tower arms on standby.

[@jcdisci]

I live in Wichita, KS and am without transportation. I was 12 years old when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. I watched him from the sidewalk of a corner news stand thru a window in the display on a 12" B&W TV while my mom did laundry at the laundromat next door. I WANT TO SEE THE ATTEMPT TO CATCH STARSHIP LIVE IN BOCA CHICA. I'm 66 and will not get another chance! Anyone in Wichita, KS going for ITF 5....I'll foot half the gas and driving to hitch a ride to this!!

[@faheyplayer]

Same age. I visited Boca Chica back in 2022 when Starships and booster were first stacked. What dumb luck! It was spectacular.

[@Bora_H]

I agree - get it while you can - It will be truly epic. I hope you find a ride!

[@Coyote27981]

Hope you get a ride man, if i wasnt on the other side of the world, i would totally go watch it live. While 4K, slow motion and drone videos are great. You cant feel the shockwaves in your body...

[@bobbarclay316]

I wish you luck. I saw IFT1 from the rocks on SPadre island across the bay. Im 70, and it was my first look at a rocket launch. The best place to watch would be at rocket ranch , which you pass on the way to Boca Chica. The ranch has rv and tent camping, and its where lots of obsessed SpaceX fans go.

[@papapiers1588]

😂loved this comment. Scotland here.

[@Ev3ntHorizon]

If you're in Aus or New Zealand this is a Saturday evening highlight

[@MarcusHouse]

Indeed. I'm exhausted. Sleep time for me. 🤣

[@lua-nya]

Saturday Afternoon highlight in Europe!

[@ganymede6535]

Morning highlight in the Caribbean

[@Ron4885]

It's very early Saturday morning here. 😉

[@andrewdillon7837]

well, Sunday morn here in Ranui

[@MinnesnowdanSniper]

More rocket stuff, rainy day to watch it, perfect!

[@raheemabdul1066]

where is it raining?

[@qdpqbp]

@@raheemabdul1066 london, probably

[@Michael75579]

It's an indication of just how SpaceX has changed the game that 10 days without a launch is considered noteworthy.

[@hawkdsl]

The vast majority of SpaceX launches is for themselves with Starlink sats... which means there is still low demand by paying customers for other payloads. Changing the game doesn't matter if no one wants to play. That's not a critique, but a concern.

[@Michael75579]

@@hawkdsl While it's true that the majority of their launches are for Starlink, they've had 17 non-Starlink launches this year so far (ignoring the Starship test flights).

[@samuk9816]

They will keep prices at a level that balances Starlink program needs and commercial gain from other launches. If Starlink required no launches the public prices could drop significantly.

[@KiRiTO72987]

I think part of the issue is the rest of the market hasn't caught up with the new capabilities spaceX has brought to the table overtime I think we'll see the rest of the industry start to actually utilize the ludicrous launch capacity that space X offers​@@hawkdsl

[@TylerGrieger]

@@hawkdsl Supply and demand. If SpaceX offers the service for a cheap enough price, more people will use it.

[@Vastafari34]

Could you possibly address the issue of hurricanes and storm surges on Starbase? It is in a very vulnerable spot and I worry that a biggy storm could wash away so much sand that the entire base is rendered useless...

[@williamscoggin1509]

It sounds like a good concern to me but you have to remember about all of the oil and chemical refineries that are along the Gulf Coast, cruise line docks, and all that industrial stuff that has always been there and always survives hurricanes. I'm sure a lot of engineering has already been put into the system to keep it safe from just about anything but a giant meteor strike. Good question though.

[@alihaidar5787]

The gulf is somewhat protected from big storms due to the geography. If anything Orlando was hit by a harder hurricane before starbase and nothing happened.

[@extractedentertainment8213]

@@alihaidar5787It’s Gulf. And what on earth are you talking about? Orlando is over an hour drive INLAND from Space X- so any hurricane hitting Orlando from the Atlantic side would hit SpaceX FIRST. Jesus lol Any hurricane coming from the gulf side would have to cross the state, hit Orlando first after already being weakened, and no storm surge to worry about. Have you ever actually looked at a map of Florida? Doesn’t seem like it. The strongest Hurricanes ever recorded were all in the Gulf Of Mexico. Hurricane Michael(Cat 5) effectively wiped out half of Tyndall AFB and Mexico Beach. The top 5 all had winds of 185mph +

[@tossedsaladandscrambledegg8576]

Calm down! You must be one of those Global Warming fans. I am sure Spacex did a thorough analysis of weather issues before setting up shop. The recent weather is normal and not a threat. You people kill me. Rising seas chaotic weather, we are going to die. For those of us that grew up on the coast we have lived threw all this many times. Yes there is always a risk of a Cat4 or 5 hurricane but that is the price you pay to live and work on the coast.

[@extractedentertainment8213]

Why was my comment deleted?

[@FerociousPancake888]

I can’t believe there’s a time, coming very soon, where starship booster catches happen as often or even more often as falcon landings… Wild to think about. I’m not sure it will ever get old though!

[@williamdrake2315]

If it was Boeing / Nasa having to replace tiles it would be years! Go Space X!

[@shauryadeb-e8l]

NASA would take months because they have their shit down but they are just careful Boeing would take 3 years and 2 billion dollars

[@eamonstack4139]

Great show Marcus, full of space goodness. Next week will see Launch Tower 2 launch itself. Exciting, Eamon 🇮🇪

[@michaelabiodun6950]

Thanks Marcus house you are the best. My Saturday is never complete without this space awesomeness

[@ianyboo]

Just think someday we will be watching update videos like this here except it will be all the hustle and bustle over at the Mars base watching things progress and get built up.

[@petterbirgersson4489]

"No time Toulouse" says the close captions when Marcus says "No time to lose".

[@Spectator1959]

That’s because the actual name is “No Time Toulouse.” It’s a weak pun on the fact that the satellite manufacturer is in Toulouse, France.

[@spittzzvi]

@@Spectator1959 There was also an obscure Monty Python skit that involved a cartoon Toulouse-Lautrec in a wild west gunslinger standoff.

[@Space30MINUTES]

It's great to see private companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space. They are inspiring a new generation of space explorers like me. I also love outer space.

[@matthodel946]

I thought it was pretty amazing how huge those rafts are under the CC-8800-1. Serious weight distribution.

[@bobuncle8704]

I’ve only recently found this channel. I’m liking it. Sadly, I’ve been watching another “channel” whose basic material is conjecture and hyperbole. It’s refreshing to watch something with some substantive material.

[@davincisghost9228]

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi! oi! Oi! 😉😀

[@MarcusHouse]

Welcome! 👋

[@squirrelsinjacket1804]

They gotta be working like crazy since the last launch was successful, it sounded like they didn't need a FAA investigation this time around so their next launch permit should come a lot sooner.

[@andrewsarchus6036]

According to Elon the actual tiles are now more robust by a factor of 2 in addition to the new ablative layer underneath the tile shell. Hopefully this will fix the issues but I'm guessing at considerable mass penalty.

[@nsfitter3134]

Love these videos, Marcus keep them coming, please!

[@Spacenoodlesisgreat]

0:24 I see what you did there

[@JimboJones-qn4wd]

What did he do?

[@BMrider75]

​@@JimboJones-qn4wd "no time to lose " Toulouse is the name of the mission......

[@blackboy5375]

Complex topics are broken down so easily. Everything is made so understandable.

[@LightjetPilot]

@MarcusHouse 3:36 It was mentioned in the live stream that they will use the existing tank farm for both towers, so expect the existing one to expand, rather than a second, separate one.

[@MarcusHouse]

Yea, in the short term, but I would still be expecting a second tank farm well down the track. Speculative for now. Depends how many launches they want to do and how quickly. They may just keep expanding the existing tank farm out too I guess.

[@matthewcollier3482]

I’m still shocked that the initial plan is booster catch AT the tower, I’d imagine building a stationary mock up away from your fuel farm and such would be much safer. Crazy the SpaceX (or at least Musk) have this level of confidence already!

[@gezajankuj5542]

One of the best reports. 👍

[@Steelninja77]

Aw sweet you said 360 degrees cameras on the next flight so should be able to finally watch in 3D on my Quest 3 VR headset. Awesome 👍 think how awesome that would be. Almost like being there hopefully.

[@johndallman2692]

It seems like it would be a good idea to have the second orbital launch setup complete before trying the booster catch. The worst-case failure for that is clearly "whole launch mount, tower, etc., wrecked." and not having to wait to rebuild that before the next launch seems worthwhile.

[@grosvenorclub]

Love your coverage and enthusiasm Marcus . Why would anybody watch main stream news these days !

[@andyonions7864]

What's the point of testing if you don't fix issues between iterations?

[@shauryadeb-e8l]

Are you talking about spacex or Boeing?

[@claudenelson8489]

What about polycarbonate casings to preserve the cameras being used up close to launches? with the right design, they can provide a super clear shot right up to debris impact. With any luck, eventually, just one sheet of polycarbonate will need swapping out per launch.

[@liquidmandotcom]

How's winter down there Marcus? It was 110 at my house today in the Mojave! And 'Yes' I saw the jellyfish the other day in real time.

[@airborne971]

So what about the both vehicules the starship and super heavy booster of flight 4 ? Did they bring them back to land for analysis ? No pictures of their sea recovery yet ? I'm curious about what they looking like now

[@pigbenis8366]

No way in hell I'd jump on Starliner to re-enter. I'd tell them they need to send up a crew dragon capsule.

[@mike4769]

Yeah i had a great view of the Vandenberg launch from my backyard in California.

[@dragonmarsh2289]

Thanks Marcus! I watched ( eyeballs only ) group 9-1 from city of Riverside in California & kept seeing those flashes & was wondering what they were.

[@budmanzoom4441]

Thank you once again Marcus. Great job1

[@brianmcshane2787]

Was the starship from flight 4 that splashed down recovered or left

[@thais4444]

I'm not to sure on having two catch notches on the booster or the Starship itself is going to be enough for the the catching arms? , Just wondering why the notch is not fully surrounding the Booster and Ship?..Otherwise both will have to be perfectly rotated in order to catch?. looking at the mock up video on catching seemed that way to me.

[@Huot1956]

As usual, great summary

[@comediehero]

Thank you for finally doing free shipping on your merch. I immediatly bought 2 T-Shirts. Cheers from Belgium!

[@MarcusHouse]

It is actually dictated by Spreadshirt themselves. We can shift the dates slightly but actually have no direct control of it. I'm glad it happened to match up with our new design launch. Shipping costs can be pretty tough internationally. Thanks for loving and helping with what we do!

[@comediehero]

@@MarcusHouse yeah the import taxes are still gonna hurt, I'll be looking at 50$/shirt. But this is the best deal I'm gonna get. And you have some of the best designs! Have you ever thought about partnering with NSF for merch sales? They have a european warehouse. I already own 6 of their shirts.

[@robfive2555]

Excellent roundup of space news. Looking forward to seeing the catch. Thank you MH + Team for a great upload

[@MarcusHouse]

Hey there Rob! Thanks mate!

[@bewaremyswirlyblades6775]

Man, catching is scary engineering

[@TrikeSquadron]

Did electron launch to the west? that orbital path seemed backwards from most launching east.

[@albinblocker4435]

It could increase the time line to refueling very important procedure to move to getting ahead in the space race

[@steveeisenburger6011]

Hi mate 👍 Can you do a video on the Starliner issues. What's going on there?

[@AndrayTheDutchman]

Indeed, we have no time, but don't call me Toulouse!

[@dharmasworld]

Can you make a video outlining the possible scenarios with a catch attempt? I’ve not seen anyone do that. For example how much propellant will still be in board? What if it explodes? Is there enough to cause that or would it just collapse and depressurise? What if the tower is damaged? What if the tank farm is, etc. I’d be so intrigued to see your scenario thoughts. This to me is why catches seem an insane idea. Rapidly reusable could so easily be undone if any one of the catches goes wrong. It could delay lots more launches of damage to any part of the infrastructure happens. At least at sea it damages very little.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

Check out CSI Starbase, they did a deep dive explaining how much propellant is left in header tanks and main tanks as the booster and ship come in to land. Suffice to say it doesn't have much fuel left by the time the landing burn starts and by the time the catch happens there is almost none left meaning a failed catch attempt, while it would look like a big explosion wouldn't cause as much damage as many people have been suggesting. Also the booster comes in at quite an angle so if anything goes wrong with engine re-light it can still ditch in the sea.

[@toddmoore5275]

Thank you for your consistent professional adept and insightful coverage of these subjects. You are obviously dedicated and your results are evident. Congratulations Endure without cessation please Kind Wise Sir, Tz

[@michaelreid2329]

Launch Pad or Landing Pad? SpaceX could hold off development of the second tower and use it initially as a catch tower without the OLM, 'cos those legs would take a while to set up and harden.

[@admarsandbeyond]

Do we have any info on the new tiles? Some say that they may be half the weight for the same strength so combined with the thin ablative coat underneath the weigh about the same as the old ones.

[@dongeiger8393]

I wonder what kind of G force is generated by the booster landing. And also with the starship doing a soft landing what G forces are generated?

[@nickhowitt3896]

Thanks Marcus...keep it up. So important

[@davidhuber6251]

I would imagine the fuel reserves upon catch would include fuel to abort the catch and get far enough away from the launch tower to avoid damaging it. Hopefully in the water.

[@Rorschach1024]

People have been building helium pressure fed hypergolic RCS thrusters for 80 years. How is it possible for Boeing to have screwed this up so badly? The Starliner RCS system has been riddled with problems since the beginning. Did they hand it off to summer interns to design and build? I kinda doubt that, summer internsxwould have done a better job.

[@shauryadeb-e8l]

Boeings team is made of politicians and greedy managers not engineers

[@brucerideout9979]

Mega Awesome Production, Marcus. Top Tier. 🥇🚀👀

[@wojciechdiechtiar]

I'm wandering, what is the emergency plan for returning booster when the chop sticks malfunction?

[@samedwards6683]

Thanks so much for creating and sharing this informative video, Great job. Keep it up.

[@bobbyshaftoe]

It sure looks like 1073 ate an engine.. or at least its nozzle.. it looks like some copper smoke was let out there...?

[@BellumW]

Not to be mean but knowing you have winter which means my Canada is in Summer!!😎

[@rowans.corner]

the timelapse of the cranes moving around pieces of the vertical tanks made me exhale sharply out my nose

[@cobra7250]

This thought seems a little outside the box but hear me out. Cover the whole starship circumference with heat shielding and rotate it during the return like a barbecue. It would have to be much better than it is now I know this is Ludacris but if you stop the barbecue of a chicken, it burns to a crisp. Think about it.

[@wonderboy8073]

Great video as always, Mr. House!

[@MarcusHouse]

Thank you! 🤩

[@wonderboy8073]

:)

[@mikem6549]

An ablative sheild may change the radiation characterisitcs of the plasma. If you put a backbone of ablative sheilding down the centre line you may find the plasmas heating characterisitcs reduces the amount of heat received rediatively further round the vehicle.

[@gnarly706]

I think a tall platform with a hole in the middle will be better for catching boosters or starships.

[@TheAechBomb]

how do you get the booster back out of it though?

[@hcf1956]

Marcus. The only thing missing were the Pom poms and jumping yelling…go…team!!!!!

[@Shivaho]

Reminds me of that old Movie Marooned...

[@daves1412]

Is the ablative coating a hack? Feels a bit like that. Would not remodelling the airflows and redesigning the front flap hinge area be a better long term solution?

[@bryanillenberg]

Redesigned forward flap+hinge is the long term solution. But SpaceX is working a short term solution that also improves reliability once the long term solution is installed.

[@daves1412]

@@bryanillenberg fair

[@buggybuilder5891]

I wonder if it is possible to use aerogel in the wings that failed somehow as part of a sandwich of materials to prevent failure

[@TheAechBomb]

aerogel is fragile, it wouldn't survive the pressure waves at launch

[@nemo6900]

I'm surprised they dont use a sikorsky sky cranes for any of this work

[@TexanUSMC8089]

Well done RocketLab too. I better buy some more shares of RKLB. I think they'll triple in value in the next 2 years.

[@icare7151]

Thank you MH from KP.

[@clavo3352]

Very nice video! A ton of information. Will there be a test!? Scary stuff about Boeing's Starliner. It merits serious investigation. When corporations becomes ticks on a Government Dog made of money it's time for a bath.

[@Huot1956]

Merci!

[@Maky-vo7qs]

I guess, SpaceX can catch that booster in on go.

[@kenhull1245]

With Starliner stuck at the ISS, was there a plan in place for extra provisions for the extended stay? Food, water, toilet items? Surely the ISS wasn't expecting the guest to have an extended stay. Does the ISS have supplies in stock for such a contengency? Boeing really has egg all over their face on this continual fiasco with Starliner. Thank you Marcus!

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Excellent stuff bro

[@jakethesnake630]

Love you Marcus!!

[@iliff4249]

The cameras had a rapid disassembly

[@RV4aviator]

Hey hey it's Saturday...! That means Marcus has another Space goodness report ready for us...!!!! Cheers mate, Love your work...!

[@winstonsmith478]

Starliner's first manned flight was supposed to be in 2017! It's SOLE mission is to supply the White Elephant ISS which is due to finally end after 2030.

[@Scanner9631]

It's SOLE mission is to supply the White Elephant ISS which is due to finally end after 2030. By then Starliner might be ready for regular reliable flights.

[@oldboy707]

Could you catch a modified falcon 9 as its proven to land with extreme pinpoint landing capability , Using the launch tower as a first system test.!?

[@anthonypelchat]

No. Falcon 9 cannot hover and would need to be even more accurate than normal. They would also need to build a dedicated tower just for that test landing. It would be pointless.

[@mickolesmana5899]

you know SpaceX skewed my perspective of how fast a space industry can churn out launch after the other, before that 10 days launch interval is an ultrafast record

[@3awsomekid]

Question for all the rocket savvy guys out there, if the goal is complete and RAPID reusability, how does that even work out when it takes weeks to repair the launch tower after a single flight? Not too well versed in this stuff so forgive my ignorance if it’s a dumb question haha

[@kenhelmers2603]

Very cool!

[@ZoidedLast]

There's a perfect balance between education and entertainment.

[@DavidPennable]

It would be a great day when Starship and Booster are Captured by the tower, detanked, serviced, reintegrated and relaunched.

[@davidgindel7148]

U should make star ship shirt. That list test 1-4 test flight and each thing it completed in each test. It would look better then date on front not liking so much. List on back of shirt.

[@johnbeckham1672]

Look mid screen moving at a downward angle above the unhooked vertical storage tank at counter time 3:57 to 4:00,, Was that a satellite pass through the shot? No flashing lights and to high to be an insect.

[@bobroemer4138]

I think it was traveling up fromaround Skinwalker Ranch

[@hackertwins]

It's pretty exciting to know that they can just use heavier shielding to fix their issues. I'm sure they'll figure it out with the light stuff.

[@drewcama2488]

Is electron a publicly shared company?

[@pruephillip1338]

My understanding is that SpaceX didn't need the FAA this time around

[@ghost307]

I think that the additional approval would be because the catch is a change from the previous flight. If they just repeated IFT-4 things would be simpler.

[@deradmiral4008]

I think only for a booster catch

[@Chillz_OG]

They don't need to deal with a accident/incident report this time around or whatever it's called, but they will need to modify their launch license to approve a catch attempt.

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

The catch is an additional layer of danger, not covered yet by the launch licence. 🚀🏴‍☠️🎸

[@Asterra2]

Although the FAA should theoretically have been able to hand over the IFT5 launch quicker than they normally do, for whatever reason, SpaceX decided to add in the Booster catch. It's really anyone's guess whether this was specifically because they absolutely wanted that catch, or whether the FAA revealed to SpaceX that the license is going to take a couple of months. Yes, SpaceX wants the catch, but at the same time, SpaceX went way out of their way to try to get launch licenses to come at a quicker pace, provided the flight plan remained the same. So I am thinking the FAA told them it was going to be at least 6 weeks and that settled the matter on the catch and the choice to replace Ship 30's tiles.

[@0x0404]

Starliner is a good physical analog for the state of NASA

[@timf6916]

Good job

[@mitchcumstein9808]

No way he will try to catch booster till other launch tower is finished….just in case

[@Half_Finis]

Same thought here, but then again, if the tower is destroyed in a visually potable way, won't they just do water landing?

[@markjacobs8584]

I’ve always believed that SpaceX is investing to develop the SS/SH system, after which they will build sites in other parts of the world. The pad is an iterative step to get ships off the ground and prove out end-to-end system, then move on.

[@jasonmarkwell8593]

🤔 WAS THAT a blue ziptie on a cable in blocked camera view?? Must be one expensive ziptie to be used on a rocket. Lol

[@jimmyholloway8527]

Little did we all know that Starliner was to become the newest ISS Module.

[@xmj6830]

They desperately need more storage 😁

[@More-Space-In-Ear]

Cheers Marcus 🍻