SpaceX's Crazy Race To The Next Starship Launch Hides A Twist!

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V2 Starship spotted! The launch site refurbishment continues! Booster static fire! Ship 29 is undergoing interesting modifications ahead of flight 4! SpaceX breaks yet another record! And Blue Origin shares more details regarding its next-gen space station!
#SpaceX #starship #elonmusk #starbase
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Editing: John Young, Alex Potvin, Stefanie Schlang
Photography: John Cargile, John Winkopp & Stefanie Schlang
3D Animation: Voop3D
Script & Research: Eryk Gawron, Oskar Wrobel, Felix Schlang
LIVE Production: Astro Roadie
Host: Felix Schlang
Production: Stefanie & Felix Schlang
Graphics & Media Processing: Jonathan Heuer, Felix Schlang
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:40 Flight 4 Incoming!
02:33 Rollout soon?
04:19 Ship 29 Stripped from its tiles...
07:22 The first V2 Starship?
09:47 OLIT 2!
11:56 Starship at LC-39a
16:16 Another record!
17:56 Orbital Reef
20:14 Bloopers
Credit:
⭐SpaceX
⭐NASA
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📄Links for this Episode:
www.spacex.com
www.spacex.com/starship

[@Whataboutit]

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code FELIX at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: incogni.com/felix Why would SpaceX remove so many tiles? Have they discovered something concerning during flight three?

[@blacksheepboyz]

Felix can't they replace some of these individual tiles with single pieces? like a one piece cowl and shoulder covers over the wings? Even something like interlocking rings going over the main body has to be stronger and more aerodynamic? You just slip them over the body and lock them in place. Ask Elon for me. :)

[@Daveyk021]

I hope I can see the 2030s, but that is doubtful (fingers crossed).

[@alanhewson6626]

A Kinetic Energy Converter. When material science improves Starships returning to Earth will have different heat dissipation. One that is efficient and simple. My suggestion is an additional outer skin on each section. A ten mm clearance on each section would house thousands of nine mm radial spikes pointing inwards, magnifying the heat dissipation area. Superheated high pressure steam is ejected through external venturis, adding thrust against the atmosphere screaming past the rocket. Heat tiles can be minimized because the best part is no part.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

I suspect that the tile system will evolve a lot more than some predict.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

@@Daveyk021 you and me both. but the way things are going, maybe the world should end.

[@christopheryoder8292]

I really hope SpaceX fully stacks Starship by Monday afternoon. They can unstack it Monday evening but I would love to see a fully stacked Starship with the eclipse in the background.

[@ericperkins3078]

Boca Chica well outside the path of totality.

[@cowpotpi3]

Boom. That POS will explode. Again.

[@christopheryoder8292]

@@ericperkins3078 i understand that but it is still close enough that it will be an awesome pic.

[@ericperkins3078]

@@christopheryoder8292 ok fine

[@cappyjack3070]

Even a partial eclipse with Starship in the foreground would sell

[@PerilousPaddy]

Putting the lifting points by the door section will allow for a longer booster to be stacked upon without needing to alter the height of the towers at all, as most of the weight is in the raptors the lifting point could theoretically be just below the middle point which also means the longer starships won't require any tower modifications.

[@Whataboutit]

Excellent comment! Happy that others see this, too! That was my first thought! I just didn't want to speculate too much.

[@bryanillenberg]

They will still need to move the SQD, though. Maybe tower 2 will have a vertically mobile SQD, like 39bs crew access arm was supposed to be

[@rightsongsrighttime]

Also, hasn’t the lifting jig caused damage to the tiles on the flaps? Moving these away from the flaps might help protect them when lifting.

[@bryanillenberg]

@@rightsongsrighttime the damage was to the tiles near the lifting points, and not the flaps

[@PerilousPaddy]

@@bryanillenberg the lifting points on the V1 starships are right under the flaps

[@sander915]

IFT-4 IS GONNA BE CRAZY! Thanks for covering this amazing rocket Felix!!!

[@schrodingerscat1863]

Seems clear that the re-entry provided a lot of data on how the tiles reacted so no surprises there are upgrades to the tiles in various areas. While we only see views from one camera there will be a lot more cameras and sensors monitoring how the tiles reacted to re-entry. Thinking back to ITF-2 which lost a lot of tiles on the way up ITF-3 did much better and I expect ITF-4 to be another improvement. My guess is the tiles on the nose didn't have enough room for expansion causing them to shatter as temperatures shot up during re-entry.

[@Dailydose13]

Having he tiles face earth on re-entry should probably help prevent a RUD.

[@billmullins6833]

I just checked and as of 11:46 CDT on 4/5 there is a booster on the OLM. I love having the WAI Multistream available. It's always useful to see what's going on in Boca Chica. Side note: When my wife and I married in 1972 we spent our honeymoon in my uncle's house on Boca Chica Bay. Of course that was 52 years ago so Starbase wasn't even on the horizon. Elon Musk was only a year old.

[@damonried1720]

It's been seven whole days, I was starting to go through withdrawals.

[@theshanetrain1522]

eat some chocolate... stressed backwards spells desserts😜

[@judahmatende3769]

💯

[@ericdenny2006]

I came to this channel everyday

[@cowpotpi3]

HAAHAHHAHAHAHHAAH It’s going to blow up too. What a joke you all are.

[@jundergaming]

Hahah I thought I was the only one

[@neoanderson7]

Can't wait for ITF-4!!! Thanks to everyone at the WAI crew for bringing us all these updates!

[@sammyloughran]

You have to love the guy taking a leak beside his truck at 10:43 in the video

[@AlexPotvin]

LMAO good catch

[@michaellee6489]

ahhhhahahaha!!!! hey man, ya gotta go ya gotta go...

[@danielvanover4679]

The world is our toilet.

[@Tea_N_Crumpets]

Only a few hours after this video was uploaded, the static fire occured. SpaceX is approaching a ludicrous launch cadence for such a huge rocket...

[@hawkdsl]

I doubt a single Booster will fly three times a day. They might be able to do that with cargo, but I imagine that would be impossible for crewed flights... especially NASA crewed flights. At least early in the program. Maybe after hundreds of flights have occurred, and the necessary evaluations for metal fatigue and structural stability have been done can that be a thing in the future.

[@sammaier4413]

I believe for leg survival, its gonna need a water shower from the leg leading edge for creating a colder boundary layer, preventing erosion and damage to the metalic surfaces... So, not only water from the floor upwards, but also from the legs, and maybe from the top of the stand as well to protect the stand from the 10 seconds that the Starship flames lick it... Its tooooo much heat and presure to resist alone.... If a water shower also protects it i believe it can be a easy way to fast reusability...

[@imconsequetau5275]

Every launch strips off a layer of paint.

[@user-fr4ht1te7b]

Congrats on 400k

[@Whataboutit]

Thank you very much!

[@team-steinbaer]

The WAI intro gets more and more epic the more I watch your videos. Next to Senkrechtstarter my favorite space news on KZbin.

[@Whataboutit]

:D Thank you very much! Mo is a good friend of mine! He visited us a few days ago here in Florida!

[@johncallaway3159]

If they launch the starship on Monday during the eclipse, we could get our first night time launch in the middle of the day

[@johncallaway3159]

I know launch is far out, but would be cool

[@user-ji2nv2vd6r]

Thanks for the update. I hope all have a fantastic weekend

[@Big.Ron1]

Thank you. Entertaining and informative as usual. Well done to you and crew.

[@Winkkin]

I think you're going to eventually see Stage 0 transform to a launch only mechanism. Landings will be effected with mechzilla arms that are completely separate from the launch mechanism. They'll be situated close by and use transport stands to move ships between them. It almost makes sense to plan a stop at a high bay for an inspection before moving a ship to the launch pad. The launch table and related support systems shouldn't be subjected to the potential damage that would result from a missed catch. Just my take on working out whats needed to maximize operational efficiency for launches.

[@skyserf]

Thank you for the chapters!

[@terance9551]

It felt like ages since your last video! We missed you! So happy to see your vid's when they launch. Keep them coming - you guys rock!

[@AncientEgyptArchitecture]

blue origin has PLANS! What they do not have is a functioning ground to orbit rocket or a single orbital flight test. It's gracious of you to include them in your collages but at this point I think we can safely consign their efforts to the dustbin. In case no one is paying attention, note that even their New Sheppard project seems to be moribund.

[@Scanner9631]

They may gain launch ability by buying ULA. Will they rename Vulcan as New Glenn?

[@benjaminmeusburger4254]

plans are at least a beginning SpaceX does not show any interest in using / testing Starship as moonlander - why else whould they start do fumble with a garage door that has only a slit for their satelites? Probably they are going to blow up another 3 ships until they get the upper half splash down in the ocean. Then another 5 to safely land. 1st orbital flight in a year? first orbit rendevous of 2 starships in 16 month? then they repeat that 10 times and only THEN they are actually able to make a testflight for the moon in 2028 by their own plan and contract they should have been ready this year

[@archierush868]

One thing I’m hoping for is for SpaceX to create a virtual tour of what Starship, both Lunar and Martian, would look like inside, and that you can walk around inside it. They did a docking simulator with the Dragon 2 Crew Capsule and that was really cool, although a little difficult. Just imagine what it would be like to walk inside a virtual Starship!

[@PaulL-hm7cz]

great!! thank you Felicx and the team...!!

[@vensroofcat6415]

Good thing about updates - you can do them forever. While real projects have deadlines.

[@ohedd]

10:43 what is bro doing by the side of the truck 😂

[@TeslaElonSpaceXFan]

Thank you!

[@appliedfacts]

A most excellent video! Thanks! Party on, dudes!

[@markysspotlight2472]

This year is guaranteed to be a great year for Felix and the WAI team. SpaceX is revolutionary, Mars here we come hope you're ready!

[@DemaGeek]

Fantastic update video Felix, thank you!!

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Excellent stuff bro

[@iwayini]

Great video update. Thank you.

[@Whataboutit]

❤️

[@chithaponr.6397]

Thank you.

[@bryanfeyerherm9850]

Thanks!

[@Esquilo500]

The best video ever. Humour and science in the perfect equilibrium

[@Whataboutit]

Thank you very much!

[@petermcguire8260]

If the new boosters are going to be taller one of two things has to happen. Either he extends the tower upward to reach the starship. Or he lowers the lifting points on the starship significantly. Or maybe both.

[@naderanuar2434]

Great video my friend, thanks for the information 👍🏼

[@edwarddonghi1471]

During the launch maybe there could be a deluge system further up the tower that could kick in when the ship starts to gain height protecting the top part of the ring and parts further up.

[@orbitaljellyfish808]

Excellent intro 👏👏

[@jeffpicken5057]

Chapters! YES! Thank you.

[@taavetmalkov3295]

its epic to think along with the developement and ride along with the test launches... to see the rise of the amazing ability of starship. So happy!

[@dksaevs]

The vibration from the 33 engines could have fatigued the flexible line and it would break near where it transitions to hard piping.

[@robertbawell7738]

Love your hype Felix. 😆

[@MrJPI]

Maybe the lifting points in V2 are moved downwards because the full stack would otherwise be too high for the tower to lift the Starship on top of it?

[@dantastic6262]

Fabulous content! Well done 👍

[@WernherVonKerman.]

Looking at that new payload bay, it could be sacrificing payload space to stretch the tanks without stretching the length of the ship.

[@rggeiger1]

the sighting is exciting but instead of additional engines I was holding out for three landing legs

[@Adak2030]

I would really like to see you dedicate a whole episode to the Polaris Dawn mission that is taking place in a couple months. It is a completely private mission going further up than any rocket since Apollo. They will also be doing the first space walk by a private company, not NASA/Russia/or China. Maybe the coolest part is they are going to be using a brand new suit design they plan to show off next month. One that will allow them to do an EVA and may be used on the Moon/Mars.

[@braincontrollers666]

Fil the bqd with co2 after closing the bqd, could be an idea.

[@R.Hawley]

Love your channel, been subscribed for at least 6 year's. Keep up the amazing work!!! Also your wife and children bring an awesome family feel and do great job supporting the channel and filming sponsors. BRAVO ZULU FELIX!!! WELL DONE!!!

[@leilalessia]

If you look the smoke during the static fire or also before the launch you can *SEE THE SOUNDWAVES*...

[@rayjay848]

Hopefully tower 2 will be tall enough to handle the stretched stack. Appears SQD will need to be raised significantly

[@liviu-dantimar9492]

@13:33 LC39-A's 2yrs old Launch Table is gone due to the power of iteration, it applies to Stage-0 as well it would seem... logical🖖

[@mrfrosty3]

Another quality episode.

[@jasonjonkerharms]

Some heat shield ideas that may have been mentioned already: Perhaps wrapping the Starship tile areas in a heavy duty adhesive vehicle type wrap material to hold the tiles in place until re-entry burns it off. Could also have multi-colours, reflective mirror, or advertisements. Perhaps the commonly suggested placement of flaps leeward of the heat shield would not only reduce the number of tile shapes required, but could also aid the Starship's forward and aft sections in more closely matching the profile of a Dragon capsule for aerodynamic stability. Perhaps an external on-orbit robo-arm to inspect for and replace missing tiles. Perhaps a more blunt, semicircular shaped nosecone with an eyelid type opening that opens within the slightly larger diameter heat shield “half” would also enable less tile shapes and allow for a larger cargo door. This semicircular nose cone could also be removable at Stage Zero to allow for various cylinder shaped third party cargo configurations to be inserted (like a battery into a flashlight handle) within a standardized Starship’s cargo area. Eg. A space station segment could be inserted to convert a Starship into a space ship or refuelling tanks could be inserted to convert it into a tanker, etc. Looking forward to the fourth launch!

[@Hyperstudios123]

Hey felix thanks for another update ❤ You Rock😊

[@leolaurant2163]

To mitigate heat tile loss use metallic velcro (hook and loop). Wrap the fuselage in sheets of wire loop and adhere sheets of wire hook to the tile backside of the heat tiles ( or vice versa). Use these materials in addition to the attachment pins. The additional weight would be negotiable yet greatly increase the survive-ability during launch and re-entry , especially for human rated staships.

[@scheldon2244]

That intro. I’m dead 😂😂😂

[@wacojones8062]

I believe that numerous sensors on both the booster and Starship gave the Crews information about skin temperatures and vibration loads. I would not be surprised if a thicker ceramic fiber blanket may be needed along with stronger attachments needing to be developed.

[@walterjarboe9970]

The loss of so many tiles indicates that a significant change is needed. Different attaching hardware, different adhesives, and or different tiles may have been specified, any of which would require removal of tiles. One of the most important ways to assure adequate performance of adhesives on metal surfaces is preparation of the surface. Tiles could be removed to implement a more aggressive method of surface preparation, such as mechanically roughing or chemically etching the surface. A rough surface will boost the strength of almost any adhesive's grip on metal, and a chemically clean surface is essential. Thoroughly removing any trace of old adhesive would be standard procedure, even if reapplying the same chemicals.

[@TerryOnTuesday]

Nice one Felix! You ROCK! \m/

[@allineedis1mike81]

I would think that one of the things they learned from flight 3 is that their RCS system is seriously inadequate. I don't know if they have reaction wheels on the ships or not but I know they did not have nearly enough control authority during the interface with the atmosphere. The original concepts showed the ship having a powerful methalox RCS system. It was originally going to be powerful enough to induce the flip to vertical before the main engines light for the landing. Starship is eventually going to be landing heavy. Whether it's a ship full of people, bringing back samples or even satellites like the Hubble to place in a museum it's going to need a powerful thruster system. Concept art of the Lunar versions landing engines look like a bunch of the same thrusters. I thought I saw something about a potential Methalox thruster test months ago but I haven't seen anything since. I'm surprised we haven't seen a bunch of this by now. I get the whole "no part is the best part" thing but sometimes you just need a part. A system like that seems necessary to me. Using head pressure from the main tanks autogenous pressurization system seems like it would have too many limitations. Theres only pressure available after the engines have been running and once that pressure is gone its gone until you relight. So it would require serious plannimg ahead and not be very versatile. Versatility is one of the main ideas behind Starship as far as I know. Methalox thrusters should work as long as there's propellant. But you'd also need pressure for that system, so either pumps or a pressurization gas like helium that they want to avoid. Or I guess they could try one of these electric RCS systems several companies have been working on using something like water and microwaves. Whatever they end up doing it'll be interesting to see.

[@alvianchoiriapriliansyah9882]

We don't even know if the RCS is actually the culprit since the investigation is still ongoing

[@linuxxr]

the fluid dynamics in low gravity during the flip is where things get wanky, as we get towards the earth rear first, a small burn to settle the fluids in the bottom of the tank might fix the relight problem and slow the ship down in the process to get past the problem

[@danielvanover4679]

Gravity and inertia are important powerfull forces that reentry drag and engine power if used work with to handle the fuel tank sloshing problem. Trial and error, and modeling the problem are in play.

[@devinhallsworth5531]

That drone footage from flight 4 was so beautiful. ^.^

[@arctrix765]

flight 4? FLIGHT 4 !!!! show me SHOW ME SHOOOOOOW MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

[@vargheseck-pg2wy]

If you have several Launch Towers at different locations around the country, then SpaceX can achieve 3 launches per day [Overall] Whistle other locations are being loaded out with Starship & Boosters for the following day(s). This also mitigates for any launch bottlenecks and launchpad mishaps.

[@alvianchoiriapriliansyah9882]

That's the plan from the beginning

[@revmsj]

Very cool!

[@liquidbraino]

OMG I spit out my coffee from the "Chrome dome" comment and graphic! Lol! 🤣

[@konkam744]

in 11:57, where Felix showcases pad 39A, I really did not expect that SLS to be there in the backround

[@Whataboutit]

We took this shot from a heli. Was a crazy sight!

[@bradyobriant4793]

I wonder if the tiles could be made to interlock along with the clips.

[@JoshuaSzanto]

Loved the 'high bae' reference ;)

[@indycar1007]

Just accomplished a static fire 4/5

[@liamb8379]

I would have thought that if they inspected the ship after a powered soft landing and flip onto it's back. It would maybe perhaps give them an insight into how the tiles fared during re-entry.

[@derneuburger546]

8:28 Imo this might be a smart move from SpaceX. Move the payload door higher up the hull, will reduce stress in this section by a lot. Just feed the Starlink Sats from the bottem up, and not from top to bottem.

[@Vollmilch-Joghurt]

You might be on to something with this idea! Nice.

[@johnmackenzie1857]

bottom.

[@bryanillenberg]

They are moving the dispenser lower, not higher

[@Vollmilch-Joghurt]

@@bryanillenberg Not if the cut outs for the lifting system are that close to the payload door. Thats why we think it could have been moved to the top and satelites will be fed from bottom not top. in Space it doesnt matter if top or bottom...

[@bryanillenberg]

@@Vollmilch-Joghurt they are moving the lifting system down, not the dispenser up!

[@deltacx1059]

13:52 a telescope fixes that, you won't be AT the hanger when you do it, it will just be caught in a frame meant for the nature surrounding the area.

[@priceringo1756]

Falcom 9's launch cadence is limited by the transit times of the booster droneships. If F9 launched fewer StarLinks, then they would be able to return the booster back to launch site; dramatically shortening its turn around time. The question is how much mass reduction is needed for this? Instead of 23 Sarlinks and landing on the droneship, F9 would launch ??? Starlinks and land back on the pad.

[@alvianchoiriapriliansyah9882]

You'll then need more launches to put the similar amounts of satellites

[@priceringo1756]

At least SpaceX could keep their current 144 launches this year and merely supplement their launches as hangar space for refurbishment allows. Of course once Starship starts launching 400 Starlinks at a time this will all be moot.

[@alancoker1459]

Launch date is May now

[@bigdogben]

B11 Just did a static fire.

[@totallylegityoutubeperson4170]

Btw, as stated in the video, super heavy IS on the pad right now.

[@franciscomagalhaes7457]

For important livestreams I've gotten to having you on one screen and the everyday astronaut on the other, with the official stream on the background and on my phone in case my wifi goes out or any of you experiences issues XD

[@bobroemer4138]

Seeing the launch platform damage and hearing the talk about not only heat and blast velocity, there's evidently also an acoustic factor that I didn't know about ... connecting these "new dots", perhaps there's also an acoustic factor affecting the tiles beyond vibration, air velocity and temperature during launch and transition into space ??? Maybe not, but I bring it up in case loose tiles is more than the glue and anchors.

[@supergeek1418]

I think that they're going to have to do a complete re-think of the whole Stage Zero concept. The awesome power of those 33 raptors may simply be too much for any "standard" launch pad. Who knows? They may need to initially lift off with fewer than 33, and then ignite the rest once they've cleared the launch area.

[@coolluke2222]

Great!

[@alexsender4986]

i was hungry for this

[@nickcollins1528]

I still feel like a flame diverter is still a good idea

[@nzoomed]

I wonder how easy it will be to make the launchpad withstand multiple successive launches with little to no repairs? Will also be a key to rapid reusability and in orbit refuelling, etc.

[@danieldavis7784]

Watching this 11 hours after it was posted and they've already static fired the booster 🤯😱

[@nictanghe98]

Best intro ever.

[@user-qy4rr6wn4g]

I like your style.

[@jonthomas8487]

Hey I’m a chrome dome. I resemble that remark🤣

[@pmrich7035]

They make swivel joints to attach flex hoses to specifically to prevent hose failure from the flexing seen here. Not sure if these swivel joints would have issues with the cryogenic temperatures though since they use o-rings as seals on the joints.

[@direbearcoat7551]

Blue Origin, proving once again that they are the industry leader in CGI aerospace!

[@LordMauUK]

Lay the tiles like dragon scales or roofing tiles..

[@totallylegityoutubeperson4170]

WE'RE GETTING CLOOOOSEE!

[@Dailydose13]

To the original 2025 Artemis III launchdate.

[@devinwilliams2626]

HAHAHA I LOVE YOUR EDITING!😂 HIGH BAE!!!! 😅🤣 THEN ADJUSTED TO HIGH BAY!. I LOVE IT

[@paoloferreri6249]

The tiles represent in my opinion the most risky element of starship. The fact that it is difficult to keep them all in place during ascent suggests that during re-entry, with the flat attitude of the vehicle in reference to the direction of flight into the atmosphere, the situation will be much more critical. Any missing tile may represent a point of structural failure. Let's not forget that a space shuttle was lost following the breach in the protection of the lower skin of the left wing caused by a piece of foam detached a few seconds after launch. I do not expect that the speed of re-entry of starship will be any lower.

[@michaelotoole1807]

the shuttle was lost when insulation blew a hole in the carbon-carbon heat tile allowing super heated plasma to directly enter the wing which was all aluminum. that has a much lower melting point [ 1,200 degrees] than stainless steel [ 2,790 degrees] plus the flat angle of entry will create a buffer zone between the starships heat tiles and the plasma where the compromised shuttle allowed plasma to enter the wing directly. starship has a much higher probability of surviving re-entry than the shuttle with compromised heat tiles. but with the amount of flights that spacex is considering for each starship launch [multiple times per day] the tile problem must be solved.

[@johnd.7792]

I have been worried about that, too. But after flight 3, I am less worried. The reason for that is when flight 3 reentered the atmosphere, it was tumbling all over the place, and the full fury of reentry was placed on the stainless steel, and it held up great. This is a testament to the durability of the rocket. This gives me hope that a missing TPS may not be too big a safty issue. This does, however, make for longer turnaround times for relaunch, so it does have to be addressed.

[@Charles-Darwin]

@@michaelotoole1807 ...but all that pressure & heat concentrated at the tip, that steel might be warping/plastic at that point. I think they need a smoother/imperforate surface. A tungsten-copper cap might be better, might also allow them to implement redundant thrusters too.

[@sc1338]

The front tiles probably came off because of the tumbling and the air got under the tiles in an orientation they weren’t designed for imo

[@sparkysho-ze7nm]

Designed by engineers mind u

[@chrisj1475]

I find it amazing that Space X/ Elon Musk is willing to have the public watch their moves. From construction, testing, and eventual launching of Starship and Super Heavy. Of course, proprietary secrets aside, watching them work is great public relations.

[@Yeoman742]

I think they should use a dunce cap made out of the heat shielding tile material for the top of the starship!

[@skewsme7650]

BEST EFFING INTRO EVER FELIX 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Whataboutit]

My pleasure!

[@bnaivar]

I'm wondering of SpaceX might be moving to some form of reinforced carbon-carbon for the tip of the nose like the space shuttle.

[@ryelor123]

I wonder if using some rigidizer on that kaowool might make it more robust.