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| 0:00 | · | Pad B is crossing a major milestone: the Orbital Launch Mount has arrived! |
| 0:04 | · | With Ship 35 doing another static fire and the launch |
| 0:07 | · | window fast approaching, how close is Flight 9? |
| 0:10 | · | And how about the Starship future? SpaceX is radically redesigning major parts of Starship! |
| 0:15 | · | Meanwhile, Rocket Lab is getting closer to pulling off a move even SpaceX hasn't accomplished yet. |
| 0:24 | · | My name is Felix. Welcome to What About it?! |
| 0:26 | · | Let's dive right in! |
| 0:28 | · | Starship Updates |
| 0:29 | · | We're drawing ever closer to Flight 9, and there are emails to prove it! No, really! There are! |
| 0:35 | · | We've now got confirmation from the FCC side that all necessary frequency approvals are moving |
| 0:41 | · | forward for Flight 9. In an email posted publicly on the FCC's site, officials confirmed that teams |
| 0:48 | · | have agreed to use two key uplink frequencies to support pre-launch checkout activities, |
| 0:53 | · | including signal tests that span from 14 hours before launch to 10 minutes after liftoff. |
| 0:59 | · | The message also notes that the launch window for Flight 9 officially opens on May 19th, |
| 1:05 | · | which aligns with the latest Notices to Mariners and road closures that we've also seen! With the |
| 1:10 | · | FCC suggesting a fast-track path for final authorization, it's clear things are lining |
| 1:16 | · | up for a launch attempt as early as next week. With regard to the NOTAMs, we've also seen a new |
| 1:21 | · | one open up between Florida and Cuba. This is likely due to the debris path from the last two |
| 1:27 | · | flights, and SpaceX is being cautious here! Also, the current advisory over the |
| 1:31 | · | Indian Ocean is in effect until May 22nd! Things are truly never slowing down at Starbase. |
| 1:38 | · | Well, unless you're talking about the rollout of the absolutely gargantuan orbital launch mount! |
| 1:44 | · | It took three SPMTs to move this behemoth from the production site to the launch site last week, and |
| 1:49 | · | traffic piled up behind it was … at a standstill. It's one of the most important moves in a while |
| 1:55 | · | for SpaceX as the OLM is an absolutely critical part of the infrastructure for |
| 2:00 | · | Pad B. We've documented the layout, the construction, and all of the specifics as |
| 2:04 | · | to how this massive piece of hardware works, but now comes the really interesting part. |
| 2:10 | · | Lifting the monster, and guess what? They did it! The Orbital Launch Mount, nearly 1,000 metric tons |
| 2:16 | · | of solid steel, pipework, and all sorts of other rocket pad equipment, has been lifted |
| 2:22 | · | and placed just above the flame trench at Pad B. SpaceX used two of its largest crawler cranes to |
| 2:28 | · | pull it off. One was positioned directly in front of the trench, the other slightly offset, and |
| 2:34 | · | together, they raised the mount, rotated it over the site, and carefully lowered it into position. |
| 2:40 | · | This marks a major milestone for Pad B, which has, over the past few weeks, |
| 2:45 | · | seen steady progress on the flame trench, diverter installations, and a ton of other supporting |
| 2:50 | · | systems. With the mount now in place, the site is beginning to look more and more finished. |
| 2:56 | · | It's important to see progress here because Pad B has become a de-facto template for how to build |
| 3:02 | · | a Starship-compatible launch pad. As we've seen with Pad A, things get outdated quickly, |
| 3:07 | · | and we're already seeing construction at the launch site in Florida mimic Starbase's Pad B. |
| 3:13 | · | It's safe to say that Pad B is no longer strictly just a construction zone. It's on the |
| 3:18 | · | verge of becoming a second, more advanced, fully operational launch pad. And with it, the pace of |
| 3:23 | · | Starship testing could be about to accelerate. Huge thanks go to Mauricio |
| 3:27 | · | and RGV aerial photography! How quickly can SpaceX install the Quick |
| 3:32 | · | Disconnect arm and plumbing in the coming weeks? Could this pad be ready to support flight testing |
| 3:38 | · | before the summer? That would theoretically double Starship's launch capacity out of Texas and set |
| 3:44 | · | the stage for back-to-back missions with far less turnaround time. Well, if Pad A didn't need a |
| 3:50 | · | complete makeover as well. I expect refurbishment work on the old pad to start this year. |
| 3:56 | · | The much-discussed initial static fire campaign of Ship 35 was nearly two weeks ago, and while some |
| 4:02 | · | of the online speculation has died down a bit, it's interesting to see what SpaceX is doing with |
| 4:08 | · | the test ship as Flight 9 gets closer and closer. There were loud noises, lots of them, and flashes |
| 4:14 | · | of blue and green during the last static fire test, which typically don't bode well for the |
| 4:19 | · | engines being tested. We also saw something being ejected from the flame trench during |
| 4:25 | · | the 30-second static fire. And the test has also seemed to have been cut short. |
| 4:30 | · | Nevertheless, SpaceX has rolled Ship 35 back to Massey's for another crack at |
| 4:35 | · | whatever happened the first time. Remember that SpaceX has already completed a relight |
| 4:40 | · | test of a single Raptor engine last month. Here's a short word from today's sponsor, |
| 4:45 | · | and after that, I'll show you how crazy SpaceX actually is. |
| 6:09 | · | [ad text redacted]...And on we go! Crazy SpaceX, remember? Monday saw the second long-duration static fire |
| 6:16 | · | for Ship 35. A full duration 60-second static fire that looked absolutely nominal. As of |
| 6:21 | · | finishing this episode we were still waiting for a confirmation from SpaceX, but if this static fire |
| 6:27 | · | was without problems, it paves the way for Flight 9. All fingers are crossed that this Starship will |
| 6:32 | · | perform the way SpaceX needs it to and that the problems from Flights 7 and 8 are now in |
| 6:38 | · | the past. Hopefully. Since Booster 14 already had its second static fire for Flight 9 on April 3rd, |
| 6:45 | · | everything should now be ready for a partial Wet Dress Rehearsal and then a launch! While Ship 35 |
| 6:51 | · | has held most of the space community's attention the last few weeks, other interesting observations |
| 6:57 | · | have been around the production site at Starbase. SpaceX is doing some radical redesigning here! |
| 7:03 | · | First, there's Ship 36 in Mega Bay 2 still receiving final TPS work, and we've seen Ship |
| 7:09 | · | 38's common dome moving out of the Starfactory. It has already completed TPS work and was moved |
| 7:15 | · | into Mega Bay 2, where the rest of the ship is. It's getting crowded in Mega Bay 2 with Ships 36, |
| 7:22 | · | 37, and 38 all being stored there! With Ship 35 out for its big show, it provides a bit more |
| 7:28 | · | breathing room. But the really interesting one is this. Let me introduce you to Test Tank 17! |
| 7:35 | · | Starship Gazer caught these shots of the next generation V3 Booster aft test tank |
| 7:40 | · | as it rolled from inside Starfactory to the Sanchez storage site. And oh boy, |
| 7:46 | · | is it next gen! It headed to Massey's late Friday night for more testing, which means we're getting |
| 7:52 | · | ever closer to V3 SuperHeavy Boosters! But what's so next-gen about it, |
| 7:57 | · | Felix? Where's that radical redesign? If you look closely, you can see what |
| 8:01 | · | appears to be metal heat tiles on the bottom of the test article! And they seem to not only be |
| 8:07 | · | made from metal. They also seem to be actively cooled. This is something that we've seen before |
| 8:13 | · | Remember back in 2019? If you don't remember, |
| 8:16 | · | take a look at this. More than 6 years have passed, and now we're back at it. |
| 8:22 | · | Why? Likely because of this. I have Starship heat tiles. But… I'm not supposed to have them. If the |
| 8:28 | · | tiles worked as intended, there'd be far fewer of them circulating in the space enthusiast world. |
| 8:34 | · | This heat shield is more difficult than SpaceX expected, and now the engineers at |
| 8:39 | · | work are toying with other ideas again. Fast reusability needs a shield that |
| 8:44 | · | doesn't need much maintenance between flights. Checking thousands and replacing hundreds of |
| 8:49 | · | tiles after each flight won't do. Ceramic tiles might not be the answer SpaceX was looking for. |
| 8:55 | · | Did you know that NASA's X-33 Venture Star, arguably the prototype closest to what a Starship |
| 9:01 | · | is supposed to do had metal heat tiles? I have to say that this prototype program was amazing. |
| 9:07 | · | Combine an Aerospike engine, a single-stage to orbit, and reusability into one idea, |
| 9:13 | · | and you have Venture Star. Besides it being one badass prototype program it had these. |
| 9:19 | · | And that, or at least something similar, is what SpaceX is trying out on Test |
| 9:24 | · | Tank 17's engine bay heat shield. These composite panels were tested for the X-33. |
| 9:30 | · | Elliot made a 3D model for us to show the difference from the regular tiles. As you can see, |
| 9:36 | · | the shape stays the same, but that's about it. They're made from metal, have these two |
| 9:41 | · | outlets on them possibly for a cooling system, and they have an unknown internal structure. |
| 9:46 | · | It's unknown what kind of cooling, if at all, they will use, but it could very well be the |
| 9:51 | · | transpirational methane cooling SpaceX spoke of several times in the past. This departure from the |
| 9:58 | · | current heat shield couldn't be more radical, if the speculation is correct. Active cooling |
| 10:03 | · | and metal show that SpaceX likely has the same opinion of the current heat shield that we have. |
| 10:09 | · | Not very reliable. If successful, we might see these new metal tiles, |
| 10:13 | · | or something similar, on Ships down the line! And it certainly isn't the only new feature |
| 10:19 | · | we saw on Test Tank 17. It also seems to be missing the typical flat thrust puck design. |
| 10:24 | · | The engine connectors on the outside are higher up than those in the middle. If this design makes |
| 10:30 | · | it into a production booster, we can look forward to a round engine assembly shape, |
| 10:35 | · | protruding outward under the booster. It wouldn't only look epic. It also reduces weight. |
| 10:41 | · | That's a huge bunch of changes and another piece of strong evidence that Starships, be it the |
| 10:46 | · | booster or the ship, aren't done with big changes in their development process yet. We've also |
| 10:51 | · | spotted what might've been a new fuel transfer prototype piece of hardware at the production |
| 10:56 | · | site. Notice my past tense? Interestingly enough, the object immediately went to |
| 11:01 | · | scrapping. Bye-bye. What do you think of this? The two large openings certainly do seem to resemble |
| 11:07 | · | something you might see in a fuel-transfer apparatus. Maybe … phasers? Turboblasters? |
| 11:13 | · | Tractor Beam Emitters? What's your best guess? Considering how quickly SpaceX is disposing of |
| 11:18 | · | this prototype, we'll probably see something better and more robust soon! Or after all, |
| 11:24 | · | they decide to go with tractor beams instead!?! Whether it was a throwaway prototype or an early |
| 11:29 | · | testing article, the presence of what looks like transfer plumbing hints that SpaceX is working on |
| 11:35 | · | iterating toward in-orbit refueling hardware. Seeing Ship 38 and a V3 aft section move this |
| 11:43 | · | early suggests SpaceX is building a buffer into the vehicle pipeline. They're positioning for |
| 11:49 | · | a steady stream of flights, and if Starship achieves even partial reuse soon, this kind |
| 11:54 | · | of overlapping hardware flow becomes essential. With all the excitement and buzz circulating |
| 12:00 | · | around Starbase as the anticipation for Flight 9 grows, the Cape is also |
| 12:05 | · | steadily growing more Starship-friendly. We've documented how Kennedy Space Center |
| 12:09 | · | is essentially building a clone of Starbase's Pad B. We've now got visual |
| 12:14 | · | confirmation from Gav Cornwell of some more tanks for the Starship tank farm arriving! |
| 12:20 | · | Gwynne Shotwell publicly stated earlier this year that the goal is to have active |
| 12:24 | · | test flights of Starship both from Texas and Florida by the end of this year, |
| 12:29 | · | and infrastructure deliveries like this show that SpaceX is pushing to make that vision a reality. |
| 12:35 | · | We'll call it "Gwynne time!" for now! Before we get to some insanely cool |
| 12:39 | · | news and updates from Rocket Lab, let me say that creating WAI episodes is a team effort. |
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| 13:18 | · | Rocket Lab's Neutron might beat Starship to something Elon Musk has been teasing |
| 13:24 | · | for years. Firing cargo across the Earth and landing it hours later. |
| 13:29 | · | It's not just a concept anymore! The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory just awarded Rocket |
| 13:34 | · | Lab a mission to prove it, and it's under a new program called REGAL, short for Rocket |
| 13:39 | · | Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics. Two teams working on this shows how real the |
| 13:45 | · | efforts are, even if it might sound bonkers I mean it does sound bonkers. Neutron will attempt to |
| 13:52 | · | launch, re-enter and land with real cargo. Not to orbit, not to space, but across the planet. If it |
| 13:58 | · | works, it won't just reshape military logistics. It could be the moment rockets become couriers. |
| 14:05 | · | RocketDash, anyone? I'd like my pizza re-entry baked, please. |
| 14:09 | · | Instead of relying on cargo planes or ships, which can take days or even weeks to deliver supplies, |
| 14:15 | · | what if you could fire a reusable rocket across the globe and land it near the battlefield or |
| 14:21 | · | disaster zone within hours of giving the go? The mission is currently targeted for no earlier |
| 14:26 | · | than 2026 and will include a real reentry and recovery scenario. That means Neutron won't |
| 14:32 | · | just launch and burn up in the atmosphere. It will be expected to return in one piece, |
| 14:37 | · | proving that rockets can act as global couriers rather than one-way delivery systems. It literally |
| 14:44 | · | has to do this to complete the mission! This is a major milestone for Rocket Lab as |
| 14:49 | · | Neutron is still developing. With its first launch expected potentially as soon as later this year, |
| 14:55 | · | the fact that the U.S. military is already locking into contracts like this shows a |
| 15:01 | · | growing confidence in it and in Rocket Lab's ability to deliver. Go Rocket Lab! |
| 15:06 | · | Neutron is designed from the ground up to be reusable, with a carbon composite frame, |
| 15:11 | · | a novel fairing that stays attached during flight, and opens like a hippo's mouth! It also has the |
| 15:17 | · | goal of flying frequently and reliably from the company's upcoming launch site in Virginia. |
| 15:23 | · | What makes this moment even more significant is that this type of Earth cargo missions has, |
| 15:28 | · | until now, mostly been associated with SpaceX and Starship. Elon Musk has long teased the |
| 15:34 | · | potential for Starship to deliver cargo and personnel around the world in under an hour. |
| 15:39 | · | But while Starship is still ironing out key technical issues, Neutron might quietly take the |
| 15:45 | · | lead in this specific area. A successful reentry test under REGAL would mean the Pentagon now sees |
| 15:52 | · | medium-lift rockets not just as launch vehicles, but as part of a future global logistics toolkit. |
| 15:58 | · | Do you think Peter Beck and his Rocket Lab team can beat SpaceX to the punch? Let me know in the |
| 16:04 | · | comments below! Rocket Lab also just cleared a critical milestone in Neutron's overall path to |
| 16:09 | · | orbit. At Launch Complex 3 in Virginia, the team lit up the pad's massive deluge system for the |
| 16:15 | · | first time. LC-3 has been under construction for years, and the success of this test signals that |
| 16:21 | · | the infrastructure is finally catching up to the rocket. And it goes on. At the same time, |
| 16:26 | · | inside Rocket Lab's advanced manufacturing facility, Stage 1 is coming into focus. The |
| 16:32 | · | upper portion of the first stage, including the interstage and composite fairing structures, |
| 16:37 | · | has now passed structural testing and is nearly qualified for a flight. Can you believe it? These |
| 16:44 | · | sections are some of the most complex parts of the rocket, tying together the upper and lower stages |
| 16:49 | · | while protecting critical avionics and separation systems. Finishing them means Neutron's frame is |
| 16:56 | · | taking shape with increasing speed and confidence. This nose section has a lot of moving parts! |
| 17:02 | · | It's all part of a push toward a first flight. Over the past year, Rocket Lab has been knocking |
| 17:08 | · | down milestone after milestone. They built and tested their first full-scale carbon composite |
| 17:13 | · | tanks. They've hot-fired the Archimedes engine and begun qualifying both stages. |
| 17:18 | · | They erected the world's largest machine for automated fiber placement to print Neutron's |
| 17:24 | · | structure. Man, Rocket Lab is rocking it! Now they are wiring all those systems together, stacking |
| 17:30 | · | hardware, and running hardware-in-the-loop simulations to tighten software and guidance. |
| 17:36 | · | For Rocket Lab, this is more than a new launch vehicle. Neutron is the key to breaking into |
| 17:42 | · | national security payloads, reusability, and eventually crewed missions. Every weld, flame |
| 17:47 | · | trench test, and fairing trial is a step closer to that future, and it all moved forward this week. |
| 17:54 | · | Stratolaunch has just completed something the U.S. hasn't seen in over half a century: a successful |
| 18:00 | · | hypersonic flight of a reusable vehicle. Earlier this week, the company's massive |
| 18:06 | · | carrier aircraft, Roc, took off once again over the Pacific. Suspended beneath its |
| 18:11 | · | record-breaking wingspan was Talon-A2, a sleek, rocket-powered vehicle designed |
| 18:17 | · | to fly at hypersonic speeds and return intact. Once released, Talon-A2 ignited its Ursa Major |
| 18:23 | · | Hadley engine and accelerated past Mach 5. That's Maverick style stuff. After completing its flight, |
| 18:31 | · | it didn't ditch into the ocean or burn up on reentry. Instead, |
| 18:34 | · | it glided back through the atmosphere and landed safely at Vandenberg Space Force Base, |
| 18:40 | · | fully recoverable, just like the first time. This flight was part of the MACH-TB program, |
| 18:46 | · | backed by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Leidos. The goal is to |
| 18:50 | · | create a reusable hypersonic testbed that's faster, more flexible, and significantly less |
| 18:56 | · | expensive than traditional systems. Talon-A2 is now two-for-two with two |
| 19:02 | · | flights and two runway landings. That's a big step forward for hypersonic testing, |
| 19:07 | · | where most vehicles are still single-use and take months to rebuild between attempts. |
| 19:12 | · | With this, Stratolaunch is moving beyond concept demonstrations. They now have a working platform |
| 19:18 | · | that can support rapid iteration, bringing hypersonic flight closer to routine reality |
| 19:23 | · | and giving researchers and engineers a much faster path from test to deployment. |
| 19:29 | · | Here's to seeing it fly again for a third time! And soon! |
| 19:32 | · | What about you? Do you want to fly again as well soon? Or maybe even for the first time? |
| 19:37 | · | What better way than in a helicopter? Check out redlineheli.com/felix for a |
| 19:42 | · | once-in-a-lifetime experience and $25 off flying in a helicopter above Starbase. The Redline |
| 19:49 | · | Helicopter team is waiting for you. They'll show you the same views our photographer Jordan gets |
| 19:54 | · | on his Starbase flights! Give it a try! And here's a special shout-out to our |
| 19:59 | · | operation partners at Starbase, Raptor Roost! Flight 9 is approaching, and there's only one |
| 20:04 | · | spot that's closest to the action. Raptor Roost. Go to Raptor-roost.com and book your |
| 20:10 | · | spot to watch a Starship launch in person with the greatest community there is at Starbase! |
| 20:16 | · | That's raptor-roost.com! Book your tickets now! I am so excited for this flight! That's it for |
| 20:22 | · | today! Before watching the bloopers, remember to smash that like button. Subscribe for more! This |
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| 20:58 | · | your journey! Thank you very much for watching, and I'll see you again in the next episode! |
