- Ah! Did it work? (dramatic music) SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 performs a static fire! We answer the big question! Did the water deluge plate work? Ship 25 departs from the launch site! Starship asteroid mission proposal! And NASA almost lost Voyager 2. My name is Felix. Welcome, to What about it!? Let's dive right in! Starship Updates: Glad to have you back! You won't believe how much has happened in recent days at Starbase! Tons of venting, lots of moving, but most importantly, much excitement for the second Starship
orbital flight attempt! Want to be up-to-date with
all the nitty-gritty details of this incredible place? Follow me! Our journey starts here, at the heart of the action, the Orbital Launch Mount. It's hard to believe that
just three months ago, this very spot witnessed the launch of the most powerful rocket ever built and was severely damaged
during the process! Fast forward to today, and we're on the brink of
another monumental event. The star of the show? None other than Starship 25 and Booster 9. Two weeks ago, Super Heavy Booster 9, the first stage of the Starship rocket, was secured into the clamps
of the Orbital Launch Mount. With that, the countdown to launch was on, and now there are only
a few more boxes to tick before Booster 9 is ready to take flight. After successfully completing
a high-fill cryogenic test and ensuring the new water
deflector system is up to par, SpaceX was ready to tackle the
next significant milestone, the spin prime test. The action kicked off on August 4th with a call to clear the pad. I watched it live with
thousands of other space fans across the world. The sequence of events mirrored
those of the plate testing, the road was closed, the chopsticks were raised, and the facility was vacated. Once the stage was set, the Orbital Tank Farm began venting, and a frost line started creeping up on Booster 9's liquid oxygen tank. It's a signal that the cryogenic fluid is slowly filling the tank. Less than thirty minutes later, the FireX system sprang to life, and a colossal cloud of liquid oxygen materialized beneath the booster. This was the spin prime test in action. It is hard to determine
from the video footage alone how many engines were tested, but SpaceX confirmed post-test that the conditions were flight-like. We can safely assume all 33 Raptors were put through their
paces at the same time. Elon Musk also chimed
in with another estimate of successfully reaching orbit, this time putting the odds at 50%. Given the number of estimates
he has already provided, you can see this more like a barometer of Elon's trust in the rocket. Sometimes it goes up and sometimes down. 50% is an excellent number
right before the flight! Interestingly, the day's
testing didn't end there. A mere two hours later, Booster 9's liquid oxygen
tank was partially refilled, but this round of testing
seemed uneventful, with the prototype being swiftly detanked at least at first glance. A closer look at the base
of the Super Heavy though revealed venting from the
newly installed valves. This could be a change
in the purging system designed to prevent fires
near the engine section. You might recall the fire
in the engine compartment during the inaugural Starship flight. In the end, the Starship explosion seemed to originate at
the base of the Booster, with the fire likely
being the final straw. This new system could
purge the engine section with gas like nitrogen or carbon dioxide, displacing any oxygen and preventing fires even in the event of an engine explosion. While this is purely speculative,
I wouldn't be surprised if SpaceX engineers
implemented such a system. It might even explain the additional tank added to Booster 9's side just before this prototype was rolled out. We'll have to wait until the next flight to find out for sure. Now, here comes the big one! Finally, after all that waiting came the event we were
all extremely hyped for. The Super Heavy static fire! You'll love this one, there
is so much to analyze! August 6th began with
an overpressure warning to the Boca Chica Village residents, followed by a road
closure and a quick test of the Orbital Launch
Mount's FireX system. Next, the pad was cleared, but just two hours later, workers returned to the launch site, a common occurrence when minor issues like a stuck valve occur. The testing resumed shortly after, and our excitement grew as frost lines appeared on Booster 9's bottom tank, indicating the presence of liquid oxygen. Minutes later, SpaceX further
fueled our anticipation by not only confirming
the static fire attempt but also announcing that
it would be live-streamed. What more could you ask for? The transmission went live just
two minutes before ignition, with John Insprucker,
our favorite presenter, sharing details about the test. He revealed that all 33
Raptors would be ignited at a lower thrust than usual but still higher than a
full-thrust Falcon Heavy. Additionally, we've learned that a new Raptor startup
sequence would be tested. The on-stream view of the
Super Heavy engine section with 33 chilled Raptors
was truly breathtaking! From this single shot alone, we can learn some interesting
things about Starship and the launch table itself. Notably, SpaceX still
uses single-use hoses to collect engine chill vapors. These will, unfortunately, be ripped from the launch
mount during liftoff. A new greenish paint appeared around the insides of the launch deck. We don't know the details, but it could be some sort
of high-temperature paint. Lastly, the new Booster engine shielding appears incredibly well done, and I have confidence that
it will hold up better during the next launch attempt. As the final minute passed, the deluge system erupted with water, and the engines were lit. If you hoped for better visibility, thanks to the new deluge system, I have some bad news for you. Seconds after the ignition, the entire orbital side of the complex was quickly engulfed in steam, even swallowing one of SpaceX's cameras. And less than three seconds later, the engines were shut down, and we learned that the test was aborted. After reaching 2.74 seconds, four Raptors shut down
prematurely, ending the test. There are many potential
reasons as to why this happened. Since this was the first-ever
static fire of Booster 9, some hiccups can be expected. The new Raptor startup sequence
can definitely be counted as one potential trouble maker. It was pretty drastically shortened, so it might need a couple of tweaks to get things just right. After all, starting an
engine this complicated requires thousands of little
things to be in perfect sync with each other. Despite the abort, the test could still be
considered partially successful. The Orbital Launch Mount appears to be in pristine condition, a true first after a
static fire at Starbase. The Deluge plate seems to
have done a fine job overall, even though this test had
less force than a real launch. Igniting 29 engines on the
first try is also impressive even if it would likely result in an abort during the real launch. After the first attempt, the stream ended, and the Booster transport stand was moved near the launch tower, signaling a return of Super
Heavy to the Build Site. It remains to be seen
whether this move was planned to prepare the Booster for flight or if some important part broke and it requires some service. Overall, it was a great show! I can't wait for the next attempt! Let's shift our focus to the
suborbital section of Starbase. An interesting observation was made by one of you in the comments recently. It's a bit of a paradox, isn't it? We call the launch mount
the orbital section, but it is primarily where the
suborbital Booster is tested. On the other hand, the suborbital side is mostly used to test the
orbital part of Starships. Food for thought, isn't it? After an intense period of testing, Ship 25 has finally earned
a well-deserved break. On the night of August 5th, the prototype was secured
to the LR1750 crane, after which it was gently
lowered onto a transport stand. A few hours later, two Self-Propelled Modular
Transporters, or SPMTs, whisked Ship 25 away to the
Rocket Garden as expected. There, it was placed in the very spot where the legendary Serial
Number 15 once stood before it was recently dismantled. As I suggested before, this is most likely just
a temporary parking spot for this vehicle. SpaceX engineers are keen
to test other prototypes, and this move frees up
the very valuable pad B. But there's no need to worry. The chances of Ship 25 being
scrapped are incredibly slim, or are they? Since we're already at the Build Site, let's take a look at progress being made at SpaceX's production facilities. July 26th marked the rollout
of the second section of the 5th level of Mega Bay. Just a day later, the first section of that
level was hoisted into place, followed by the second
section just two days later. Next, on the same day, June 29th, the third section was
moved to the ring yard, followed by the final
section on August 3rd. Finally, as of August 6th, all the pre-assembled sections
of the second Mega Bay were in place, completing the 5th level. With that, the only thing
left to install is the roof. Given the current pace
of progress at Starbase, I wouldn't be surprised if the
second Mega Bay construction is finished two weeks from now, no pun intended. Of course, it still needs
all the interior elements like a crane, turntables,
and welding robots, but that's the easy part. I'm eagerly awaiting the day when the first prototype
rolls out of Mega Bay 2. Steady progress is also being made on the Starfactory building, which we delved deeper into
in the previous episode. The roofing near the first
section of the expansion is nearly complete. The frame is also extending
in the direction of Highway 4, and surprisingly, workers
have already started pouring concrete in the
area adjacent to the street. This suggests that they might start assembling multiple sections at once. Want to hear a curious story? We're still unsure about
what's going to happen regarding this small patch of grass here. It's technically not a SpaceX property, and it's owned by a private person, with an ongoing court battle
over this tiny piece of land. Moving a few hundred meters away, we can see the Sanchez facility, where SpaceX previously-stored the parts for the water-cooled steel plate. It's always fascinating to
see how these different sites contribute to the overall mission. At the edge of the SpaceX-owned territory, we find the Ground Fabrication Building. This structure previously
occupied the space where the Starfactory is
now being constructed. After being meticulously
disassembled, piece by piece, it's now being reassembled
in its new location. The recent developments include
the pouring of more concrete and the completion of the side sections. The future purpose of this building, however, remains a mystery for now. Now, let's take a brief ten-minute drive to the bustling Masseys test site. This place is a hive of
activity every single day. A while back, a Ship
test stand was relocated from Masseys to the Build Site. It later emerged that the
next test article, Ship 28, was placed on this test stand to be later rolled back to Masseys to undergo a round of cryogenic testing. The next such test was
conducted on August 4th. After this test, SpaceX
decided that the prototype had survived enough testing, and a day later, the prototype,
along with its test stand, was moved back to the Rocket Garden. There, Ship 28 was
lifted off the test stand and placed on the Raptor
installation stand, which is a very promising sign. Hopefully, this prototype
will soon receive its engines so that it can undergo a static
fire at suborbital pad B. As the stand is still at the Build Site, it's possible that the next
prototype in line, Ship 29, will be taken out of the
High Bay and moved to Masseys for its round of cryo tortures. As you can see, the pace of testing is really starting to ramp up. If the second integrated flight test of Starship works better, we will not have to wait three
months for the next launch. Meanwhile, a recently
relocated test article, the hot staging load head, has been positioned
inside the can crusher. It recently received its cap, and workers tied the lines
to the base of the structure, indicating that some crushing
action should occur shortly. Unfortunately, unless something breaks, it's going to be challenging to determine when such a test takes place. Once all the testing is complete, there are two possibilities. Either SpaceX will
introduce a brand-new ring that will be installed atop Booster 9, or perhaps the tested one will
be used during the flight, as it's not welded to the
rest of the structure. With the simple clamp system, it should be possible to install this ring using either a crane or Mechazilla without actually having
to take down the Booster. Lastly, one thing that's easy to spot, thanks to aerial shots from
RGV Aerial Photography, is the new foundations
being dug at the entrance to the test site. Unfortunately, we barely know anything about the building itself. Perhaps it will be used to
prepare prototypes for testing, or it will become a
simple storage facility to protect some of the testing equipment. We will probably know the
answer in the next few weeks. Now, I'd love to know your estimate. When will we see the
second Starship flight? This month? Next month? Or maybe you think it's
not launching at all? Let me know in the comments! I love reading your opinions! While you're at it, hit
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your own set of rules! Thanks for listening. Now, while we are focused on the current developments of Starship, hoping that it'll soon reach orbit, NASA is already contemplating the future possibilities of Starship. After all, it's a tool that gives unprecedented abilities if used right! At the 8th IAA Planetary
Defense Conference in Vienna, the American space agency proposed a crewed Starship mission to an asteroid. Yep, you heard me right! But to understand the
rationale behind this proposal, we need to take a trip down memory lane. Did you know that Artemis 2, or as it was known back
then, Exploration Mission 2, was initially planned
to be an asteroid flyby? Until 2017, NASA had real plans for an Asteroid Redirect Mission program. This mission aimed to bring a six-meter or 20-foot diameter C-type
asteroid into a lunar orbit, enabling us to conduct a flyby and, later, even land
on this celestial body and collect samples from it. Imagine that for a second! Here comes the plot twist. As is often the case with
government-funded space missions, the funding for the asteroid
redirect mission was pulled, which ultimately led to the abandonment of the flyby mission. Don't worry, though. The story isn't over yet! Now, NASA suggests something
even more ambitious. Instead of bringing the
near-Earth asteroids down to us, why not just fly straight to them? This is where a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX enters the script. The plan is as follows: First, NASA sends a robotic
reconnaissance spacecraft to gather more information
about the target. The proposal recommends an
object known as 2001 FR85, an asteroid with a diameter
of around 50 meters. Currently, we have a database of almost five thousand similar objects, so swapping it for a different
asteroid won't be an issue. We also already have some experience in surveying these types of objects, so that won't be a showstopper. Next, an unspecified number of Starships is sent into Low Earth Orbit, where a tanker variant of Starship is filled with propellant. Once it's full, the Near Earth
Asteroid Starship is launched and docked to the tanker. Both vehicles then raise their
orbit to 7,800 kilometers by 113,000 kilometers, or 4,800 miles by 69,000 miles. That's almost a third of the distance to the moon at its apogee. Now comes the finale of
the perfect Starship movie. A crew-certified Falcon Heavy launches with a Dragon capsule on top, carrying a crew of three
brave asteroid explorers. The Heavy variant is needed, as the Falcon 9 itself isn't capable of sending the capsule this far. Once it arrives, Dragon docks to Starship, the crew transfers to it, and the capsule returns to Earth as it can only last a few days
in space without ISS support. Next, Starship fires up its engines and embarks on a 46-day transit, after which it will
arrive at the asteroid. Man, this is making me excited. The details here are a bit unclear, but it appears as if the
plan was for the astronauts to stay for 16 days at their target. It doesn't specify whether landing is something they consider, but with this mission being so ambitious, I don't see why they couldn't
include that as well. The mission would also encompass several extravehicular
activities, or EVAs, that would involve some interaction with the spacecraft inside
Starship's payload bay. This payload could potentially
be a space telescope for NEA or near-Earth
asteroid observation. Once all the experiments are conducted, observations are made,
and samples are collected, Starship would embark on
a 90-day return transit that would bring the crew
back to High Earth Orbit. Here, another Crew Dragon capsule, again launched by a Falcon Heavy, would retrieve the crew and
bring them safely back to Earth. The entire journey would
span around 150 days and could serve as a stepping
stone to a Mars landing. As stated at the outset of this proposal: The Apollo program forever
altered humanity's perspective by presenting us with the Earthrise from our moon through human eyes. Crewed missions to Near Earth Asteroids will once again shift our
perspective by showing us Earth as a distant point of
light in the heavens, as seen from an asteroid by astronauts. Naturally, this is only a proposal, which means that no preparations
are currently being made to turn it into reality. So, the movie is not in
production yet, so to speak. It's just the idea for
an epic script so far. Even the paper itself
suggests a launch date of February 14th, 2039! That's 16 years from now. Not to mention that it involves
a crew-rated Falcon Heavy, which probably will never happen, and will most likely be
replaced with a crewed Starship. That is, once SpaceX proves
they can safely land it tens of times in a row. Nevertheless, this proposed
mission illustrates the new possibilities
that Starship opens up. These previously
absolutely impossible tours away from Earth. Sci-Fi movie material turned into reality. Do you think that an
asteroid Starship mission actually has a chance? I'd love to hear your thoughts
on this in the comments. While this team at NASA
focused on the future, another team had to act now
to save a legendary probe! Launched in 1977, they
were initially tasked with exploring the outer
planets of our solar system. After their primary missions, they continued to operate, with Voyager 1 becoming
the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space. Remarkably, nearly 45 years post-launch, both probes are still operational and transmitting valuable
data back to Earth. That was until July 21st. Sometimes, it's the little things. A routine command to Voyager 2 resulted in an unexpected
two-degree antenna shift. Given the spacecraft's
vast distance from us, 19.9 billion kilometers
or 12.3 billion miles, this minor shift meant Voyager's signal missed Earth by millions of kilometers, effectively dropping all communication. Full panic mode at NASA? No, these guys are prepared. Despite this alarming development, NASA had a plan in place long before this even happened, smart. Both Voyager probes are programmed to correct their position every few months to maintain contact with
Earth, fully automated. Using NASA's Deep Space Network, a carrier signal from Voyager,
an electronic heartbeat, was detected, indicating the
probe was still operational. NASA then sent a shout signal, essentially screaming
into interstellar space, hoping Voyager would hear the
call and adjust its antenna. Surprisingly, that's
precisely what happened. Due to the sheer distance of Voyager 2, the signal had to travel through space for an astonishing 18.5
hours to reach the probe. Once it did, we had to
wait another 18.5 hours for it to respond. That's 37 hours at light speed, just to give you an idea of how far Voyager 2 has traveled by now, mind-blowingly far. But finally, on August 4th, the spacecraft adjusted its antenna,
re-establishing communication. This incident highlights the incredible problem-solving
skills of NASA's team and the robustness of Voyager's hardware. Even after 45 years in space
and 18.5 light hours traveled, the Voyager probes continue their mission, widening the sphere of
human influence every day. That's it for today! Remember to smash that like button. Subscribe for more awesome content! This is what fuels the algorithm
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continue your journey! Thank you very much for watching, and I'll see you again
in the next episode. Fast forward to today, to today, to today. A few hours later, sorry.
(Felix chuckling) Or now? Uh-huh. Uneventful, uneventful, it is.
