diff --git "a/subtitle/KTjeh5QPL0o.srt" "b/subtitle/KTjeh5QPL0o.srt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/subtitle/KTjeh5QPL0o.srt" @@ -0,0 +1,6034 @@ +1 +00:00:02,210 --> 00:00:05,570 +I want to lay the roads now +so that generations after + +2 +00:00:05,570 --> 00:00:08,240 +generations can use those +same roads to get to the + +3 +00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:09,350 +moon. Get to Mars. + +4 +00:00:09,380 --> 00:00:09,920 +Go beyond. + +5 +00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,370 +That. The decision to move +into StarLink gives the + +6 +00:00:13,370 --> 00:00:17,330 +company a market adjacency +that's significantly larger + +7 +00:00:17,330 --> 00:00:19,640 +in size and has the +potential to generate the + +8 +00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,770 +types of revenues and +profits that would be needed + +9 +00:00:21,770 --> 00:00:23,060 +for that Mars colony. + +10 +00:00:23,090 --> 00:00:26,030 +Firefly is aiming to be the +next SpaceX. + +11 +00:00:26,270 --> 00:00:27,470 +Most rocket companies do not +succeed. + +12 +00:00:28,310 --> 00:00:30,450 +Starship is capable of +getting a million tons the + +13 +00:00:30,470 --> 00:00:33,590 +surface of Mars and +creating a self-sustaining + +14 +00:00:33,590 --> 00:00:34,370 +city. + +15 +00:00:39,970 --> 00:00:42,700 +In the most remote parts of +the U.S., reliable Internet + +16 +00:00:42,700 --> 00:00:44,170 +is still hard to come by. + +17 +00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,780 +42 million Americans still +don't have access to + +18 +00:00:46,780 --> 00:00:47,620 +broadband. + +19 +00:00:48,580 --> 00:00:51,600 +This is a nine and a half +acre homestead in Idaho. + +20 +00:00:51,610 --> 00:00:55,900 +And when we first got here, +we had zero cell service. + +21 +00:00:55,930 --> 00:00:57,900 +We tried to put boosters at +the top. + +22 +00:00:57,910 --> 00:00:59,620 +We tried to put boosters at +the bottom. + +23 +00:00:59,620 --> 00:01:01,740 +We tried to put boosters +anywhere we could. + +24 +00:01:01,750 --> 00:01:05,230 +We had no cell service, so +we really needed some good, + +25 +00:01:05,230 --> 00:01:06,510 +reliable Internet. + +26 +00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:07,720 +And then StarLink came +along. + +27 +00:01:09,370 --> 00:01:12,220 +Mike Lordan and his fiancee, +Liz Rosser, are one of more + +28 +00:01:12,220 --> 00:01:16,060 +than 10,000 customers using +StarLink, SpaceX's ambitious + +29 +00:01:16,060 --> 00:01:17,830 +project to build an +interconnected network of + +30 +00:01:17,830 --> 00:01:20,350 +thousands of satellites to +provide high speed broadband + +31 +00:01:20,350 --> 00:01:21,789 +Internet across the globe. + +32 +00:01:22,330 --> 00:01:24,880 +They've been using sterling +service for about six months + +33 +00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,130 +now and are documenting +their experience of living + +34 +00:01:27,130 --> 00:01:28,630 +on a homestead on YouTube. + +35 +00:01:28,990 --> 00:01:31,840 +There are some times when +the StarLink does drop out. + +36 +00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:33,280 +The dropouts aren't really +significant. + +37 +00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,280 +It seems to be just like +short little blips, you + +38 +00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:38,000 +know, a couple of seconds +here and there. + +39 +00:01:38,020 --> 00:01:40,570 +The only time that you +really, really notice it is + +40 +00:01:40,570 --> 00:01:43,000 +if you're like live +streaming or if you're using + +41 +00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:44,880 +the wi fi calling option. + +42 +00:01:44,890 --> 00:01:47,110 +Other than that, if you're +just surfing the web or + +43 +00:01:47,110 --> 00:01:50,440 +something, it seems to be +very fast so far for what it + +44 +00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,810 +is. It's a real good +connection, you know, + +45 +00:01:52,810 --> 00:01:54,400 +considering our +circumstances. + +46 +00:01:56,229 --> 00:01:58,900 +Starlink is still in beta +and currently serves select + +47 +00:01:58,900 --> 00:02:01,840 +customers in the northern +U.S., Canada, the U.K., + +48 +00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,580 +Germany and New Zealand. + +49 +00:02:04,660 --> 00:02:07,210 +Experts estimate that there +are around 70 million + +50 +00:02:07,210 --> 00:02:09,699 +households worldwide that +are good candidates for + +51 +00:02:09,699 --> 00:02:12,280 +satellite based consumer +broadband and have the + +52 +00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,940 +capacity to pay amid a +global pandemic that's kept + +53 +00:02:15,940 --> 00:02:18,280 +employees from going to +offices and children from + +54 +00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,400 +schools. The need for +universal broadband has + +55 +00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:22,930 +become undeniable. + +56 +00:02:23,350 --> 00:02:26,079 +If the service expands to +its intended global customer + +57 +00:02:26,079 --> 00:02:30,730 +base, StarLink could be key +to SpaceX's success and Elon + +58 +00:02:30,730 --> 00:02:33,220 +Musk's vision for a colony +on Mars. + +59 +00:02:33,460 --> 00:02:37,180 +I think it's fair to say +that the majority of SpaceX + +60 +00:02:37,390 --> 00:02:40,210 +is valuation today is tied +to the StarLink business + +61 +00:02:40,210 --> 00:02:43,840 +model. Generally speaking, +the global launch industry + +62 +00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,270 +is about a $5 billion a +year industry. + +63 +00:02:46,300 --> 00:02:49,270 +Spacex, in previous +discussions has talked about + +64 +00:02:49,270 --> 00:02:52,960 +a $30 billion a year +opportunity in the StarLink + +65 +00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,360 +business, looking about 3 +to 5 years out. + +66 +00:03:02,910 --> 00:03:05,580 +The basis of Starlink's +Internet service involves + +67 +00:03:05,580 --> 00:03:08,310 +three components a +satellite dish, ground + +68 +00:03:08,310 --> 00:03:09,840 +stations and the satellites +themselves. + +69 +00:03:11,100 --> 00:03:13,350 +The service is meant for +customers like Gordon and + +70 +00:03:13,350 --> 00:03:15,870 +Racer, who live in a +sparsely populated area + +71 +00:03:15,870 --> 00:03:17,880 +that's not being served by +traditional Internet + +72 +00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:18,780 +companies. + +73 +00:03:18,810 --> 00:03:21,840 +Given the high cost of +laying cable or fiber, which + +74 +00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,560 +can be as much as 20,000 of +KM, terrestrial service + +75 +00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,500 +providers tend to focus on +urban and suburban areas + +76 +00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:29,829 +where there's high density. + +77 +00:03:29,850 --> 00:03:33,390 +It simply does not make +economic sense to reach out + +78 +00:03:33,390 --> 00:03:35,220 +to consumers in low density +areas. + +79 +00:03:35,940 --> 00:03:38,820 +The only option we really +considered was we had a + +80 +00:03:38,820 --> 00:03:41,130 +local Internet company that +wanted to come in. + +81 +00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,500 +They would have had to +erect a tower on the top of + +82 +00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:46,440 +our mountain. They maybe +could have given us five + +83 +00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,510 +megs a second, and it would +have been about the same + +84 +00:03:48,510 --> 00:03:50,460 +monthly price as the +StarLink service. + +85 +00:03:50,460 --> 00:03:53,880 +We have other friends that +are in similar situations as + +86 +00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,360 +us and they have those +other satellite internet + +87 +00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,810 +providers and a lot of them +are data cap. + +88 +00:03:59,820 --> 00:04:00,990 +Most of the rates are real +high. + +89 +00:04:01,620 --> 00:04:05,100 +Sterling customers pay $499 +for the hardware needed to + +90 +00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:07,950 +connect to the network and +an additional $99 per month + +91 +00:04:07,950 --> 00:04:09,000 +for the service. + +92 +00:04:09,270 --> 00:04:11,370 +Currently, there are no +data usage caps or + +93 +00:04:11,370 --> 00:04:15,180 +contracts. So far, SpaceX +has launched over 1000 + +94 +00:04:15,180 --> 00:04:17,640 +satellites into orbit, but +the company plans to deploy + +95 +00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,940 +4425 satellites by 2024. + +96 +00:04:21,269 --> 00:04:23,670 +By the time that SpaceX is +done building out its global + +97 +00:04:23,670 --> 00:04:26,610 +StarLink satellite system +known as a Constellation, + +98 +00:04:26,610 --> 00:04:28,650 +the company will have +launched about 12,000 + +99 +00:04:28,650 --> 00:04:32,040 +satellites. And although +not yet approved by the FCC, + +100 +00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,080 +SpaceX has requested +permission to launch an + +101 +00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,390 +additional 30,000 +satellites, which would + +102 +00:04:36,390 --> 00:04:39,659 +bring their total to +42,000. Unlike traditional + +103 +00:04:39,659 --> 00:04:42,180 +Internet satellites, which +are as big as a school bus + +104 +00:04:42,180 --> 00:04:44,820 +in orbit at around 36,000 +kilometers above Earth's + +105 +00:04:44,820 --> 00:04:48,090 +surface, StarLink +satellites are much smaller + +106 +00:04:48,090 --> 00:04:51,180 +and closer at about 550 +kilometers above Earth's + +107 +00:04:51,180 --> 00:04:54,450 +surface. But the satellites +closer placement means they + +108 +00:04:54,450 --> 00:04:56,850 +can see less of the Earth +at any given point in time, + +109 +00:04:56,850 --> 00:04:58,350 +which is why space needs so +many. + +110 +00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,620 +On the flip side, SpaceX +claims that this closer + +111 +00:05:01,620 --> 00:05:04,260 +orbit allows the system to +have a lower signal delay + +112 +00:05:04,290 --> 00:05:05,760 +known as latency. + +113 +00:05:06,390 --> 00:05:08,820 +Latency is important for +things like video streaming + +114 +00:05:08,820 --> 00:05:11,520 +and gaming. Lordan says +speeds vary according to + +115 +00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:13,800 +factors like weather, but +on average, he's been + +116 +00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,230 +getting speeds of about 75 +megabits per second for + +117 +00:05:16,230 --> 00:05:18,840 +downloads and around 12 +megabits per second for + +118 +00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:22,590 +uploads. In a filing to the +FCC, SpaceX said that + +119 +00:05:22,590 --> 00:05:25,170 +StarLink service is, quote, +meeting and exceeding speeds + +120 +00:05:25,170 --> 00:05:27,780 +of 100 megabits per second +for downloads and 20 + +121 +00:05:27,780 --> 00:05:30,510 +megabits per second for +uploads. Musk has said that + +122 +00:05:30,510 --> 00:05:32,580 +he expects the service will +double in speed by the end + +123 +00:05:32,580 --> 00:05:35,550 +of the year. To do this, +the company is developing a + +124 +00:05:35,550 --> 00:05:38,070 +technology known as inter +satellite links. + +125 +00:05:38,100 --> 00:05:42,060 +The basic premise is that +you have an optical sensor, + +126 +00:05:42,060 --> 00:05:45,720 +which is effectively a +laser that points from one + +127 +00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,990 +satellite and connects to +the another optical sensor + +128 +00:05:48,990 --> 00:05:53,010 +on another satellite and +creates this unseen path + +129 +00:05:53,010 --> 00:05:54,250 +from one to the other. + +130 +00:05:54,270 --> 00:05:56,280 +That's the stable +connection, almost like a + +131 +00:05:56,280 --> 00:06:00,000 +wire. And if you you have +that stable connection, you + +132 +00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,120 +can drastically increase +the speed because you're now + +133 +00:06:03,150 --> 00:06:06,570 +moving signal from one +satellite to the other at + +134 +00:06:06,570 --> 00:06:09,210 +the speed of light rather +than the speed of whatever's + +135 +00:06:09,210 --> 00:06:10,050 +on the ground. + +136 +00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:12,780 +Another benefit is reducing +the amount of infrastructure + +137 +00:06:12,780 --> 00:06:13,290 +needed. + +138 +00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:15,810 +Given Starlink's current +architecture, we estimate + +139 +00:06:15,810 --> 00:06:18,390 +that they will need more +than 100 ground stations in + +140 +00:06:18,390 --> 00:06:21,960 +the US. If, however, they +move to the laser + +141 +00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:24,630 +communications on the +satellites, they can greatly + +142 +00:06:24,630 --> 00:06:27,900 +reduce the number of ground +stations needed as well as + +143 +00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:30,900 +the complexity of the +overall system on a global + +144 +00:06:30,900 --> 00:06:31,680 +basis. + +145 +00:06:32,010 --> 00:06:34,320 +On the consumer side, Lordan +says that working with the + +146 +00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:35,640 +technology was simple. + +147 +00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,010 +Spacex does not currently +provide an installation + +148 +00:06:38,010 --> 00:06:39,930 +service, so users are on +their own. + +149 +00:06:39,930 --> 00:06:40,320 +For the most. + +150 +00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,740 +Part, they ship and deliver +a big ol box to your door. + +151 +00:06:43,740 --> 00:06:46,110 +And inside that box, it's +really not that many items. + +152 +00:06:46,110 --> 00:06:49,770 +It would be the StarLink +dish itself, the router, the + +153 +00:06:49,770 --> 00:06:52,650 +power supply and the little +tripod mount to set the dish + +154 +00:06:52,650 --> 00:06:54,000 +on. And it's super +straightforward. + +155 +00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,420 +Starlink actually has an +app that you can download on + +156 +00:06:57,420 --> 00:06:59,460 +the phone and it walks you +through everything. + +157 +00:06:59,580 --> 00:07:02,250 +Literally just plug this +thing into the wall and put + +158 +00:07:02,250 --> 00:07:04,620 +the dish where the app +tells you to put the dish. + +159 +00:07:04,620 --> 00:07:06,360 +Starlink's dish comes +equipped with a built in + +160 +00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:08,280 +heating element, which +keeps it free of snow and + +161 +00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:11,370 +ice. It's also motorized, +allowing the dish to + +162 +00:07:11,370 --> 00:07:13,500 +automatically orient itself +to stay aligned with the + +163 +00:07:13,500 --> 00:07:14,790 +satellites overhead. + +164 +00:07:15,150 --> 00:07:17,580 +But making its equipment +user friendly has not come + +165 +00:07:17,580 --> 00:07:18,360 +cheap for SpaceX. + +166 +00:07:19,230 --> 00:07:22,500 +The biggest challenge that +SpaceX is facing with + +167 +00:07:22,500 --> 00:07:25,590 +StarLink is also one of the +big unknowns about the + +168 +00:07:25,590 --> 00:07:27,060 +actual equipment cost +itself. + +169 +00:07:27,660 --> 00:07:30,660 +People aren't sure exactly +how much either SpaceX is + +170 +00:07:30,660 --> 00:07:34,070 +paying for or paying to +build its antennas. + +171 +00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:36,790 +There's been a lot of +speculation that it's $1,000 + +172 +00:07:36,810 --> 00:07:40,710 +a unit, 2000 a unit, if +they're selling these kits + +173 +00:07:40,710 --> 00:07:44,700 +for 499 a kit and it costs +them 2000 to make, they're + +174 +00:07:44,700 --> 00:07:46,380 +running huge losses to +begin with. + +175 +00:07:46,380 --> 00:07:49,110 +And they have to get a lot +of people on board to make + +176 +00:07:49,110 --> 00:07:51,659 +up for that in the long +term by charging for + +177 +00:07:51,659 --> 00:07:52,320 +service. + +178 +00:07:55,430 --> 00:07:58,280 +Spacex has been tremendously +successful in their launch + +179 +00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,850 +business, dominating the +industry in just ten years. + +180 +00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,580 +However, the launch +industry, global launch + +181 +00:08:04,580 --> 00:08:08,900 +industry is not a large +enough market to subsidize + +182 +00:08:08,930 --> 00:08:11,660 +Elon Musk's dream of +building a colony on Mars. + +183 +00:08:11,810 --> 00:08:15,120 +The key to Musk's vision for +colonizing Mars is Starship. + +184 +00:08:15,140 --> 00:08:18,260 +The massive rocket is meant +to be fully reusable and + +185 +00:08:18,260 --> 00:08:21,680 +capable of launching up to +110 tons of cargo at once. + +186 +00:08:22,130 --> 00:08:24,260 +Though SpaceX has not +revealed how much its spent + +187 +00:08:24,260 --> 00:08:27,500 +on the Starship Program in +the past, Musk has estimated + +188 +00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:30,050 +that it would cost the +company about $5 billion to + +189 +00:08:30,050 --> 00:08:33,409 +complete. That's where +StarLink comes in. + +190 +00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,559 +The decision to move into +StarLink gives the company a + +191 +00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:40,580 +market adjacency that's +significantly larger in size + +192 +00:08:40,580 --> 00:08:42,620 +and has the potential to +generate the types of + +193 +00:08:42,620 --> 00:08:44,750 +revenues and profits that +would be needed for that + +194 +00:08:44,750 --> 00:08:45,710 +Mars colony. + +195 +00:08:45,740 --> 00:08:48,230 +Earlier this year, a SpaceX +job posting revealed that + +196 +00:08:48,230 --> 00:08:50,150 +the company is planning to +build a factory in Austin, + +197 +00:08:50,150 --> 00:08:52,520 +Texas, to manufacture its +StarLink kits. + +198 +00:08:52,820 --> 00:08:54,830 +But although StarLink is +initially targeting the + +199 +00:08:54,830 --> 00:08:57,950 +consumer market, experts +say there's a lot of room + +200 +00:08:57,950 --> 00:08:59,420 +for the service to expand. + +201 +00:08:59,450 --> 00:09:02,390 +The intended markets for +StarLink measure in the tens + +202 +00:09:02,390 --> 00:09:05,150 +of billions of dollars +ranging from consumers to + +203 +00:09:05,150 --> 00:09:08,510 +enterprises and mobility +applications, including + +204 +00:09:08,510 --> 00:09:11,030 +vessels at sea and aircraft +in flight. + +205 +00:09:11,060 --> 00:09:14,990 +Starlink's initial focus on +consumers is a byproduct of + +206 +00:09:14,990 --> 00:09:17,510 +the way that the satellites +are launched and the + +207 +00:09:17,510 --> 00:09:19,040 +coverage that they provide. + +208 +00:09:19,070 --> 00:09:21,440 +Currently, StarLink is not +able to provide an + +209 +00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,900 +enterprise grade service, +so the company is leading + +210 +00:09:23,900 --> 00:09:26,000 +with consumers that are a +little bit more tolerant. + +211 +00:09:26,570 --> 00:09:29,210 +In the past, StarLink been +used by emergency responders + +212 +00:09:29,210 --> 00:09:31,520 +in Washington, where the +satellites are manufactured + +213 +00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,320 +to set up an Internet +connection in areas + +214 +00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:35,110 +devastated by wildfires. + +215 +00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,120 +The US Air Force and the +Army are also both testing + +216 +00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,300 +StarLink. There is a huge +hunger for investment in + +217 +00:09:41,300 --> 00:09:44,070 +satellite internet. The +sector could be worth $412 + +218 +00:09:44,070 --> 00:09:46,040 +billion by 2040. + +219 +00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,590 +And it's not just VCs that +are investing. + +220 +00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,680 +Satellite Internet is ripe +for government subsidies. + +221 +00:09:51,830 --> 00:09:54,140 +In Canada, the government +of Quebec has invested + +222 +00:09:54,140 --> 00:09:55,910 +millions in Telesat in +China. + +223 +00:09:56,510 --> 00:09:58,880 +Satellite maker COMSAT +received a massive + +224 +00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:00,800 +government investment as +part of the country's new + +225 +00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:02,060 +infrastructure drive. + +226 +00:10:02,450 --> 00:10:04,250 +The US too is betting big. + +227 +00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,550 +Last year, the FCC awarded +StarLink nearly $1 billion + +228 +00:10:07,550 --> 00:10:10,150 +in subsidies to bring +Internet to rural areas. + +229 +00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,140 +And in late March, +President Biden said that + +230 +00:10:12,140 --> 00:10:15,200 +his administration would +spend $100 billion to expand + +231 +00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,780 +broadband access to +Americans as part of his $2 + +232 +00:10:17,780 --> 00:10:18,890 +trillion infrastructure +plan. + +233 +00:10:19,430 --> 00:10:22,370 +Spacex is also in talks +with the UK, where Starling + +234 +00:10:22,370 --> 00:10:24,950 +could earn funding as part +of the country's $6.9 + +235 +00:10:24,950 --> 00:10:27,370 +billion Internet +infrastructure program. + +236 +00:10:27,380 --> 00:10:29,600 +But one place where +StarLink may not be welcome + +237 +00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,850 +is in Russia, where the +government is reportedly + +238 +00:10:31,850 --> 00:10:34,160 +considering enacting fines +for individuals who sign up + +239 +00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:35,210 +for the service. + +240 +00:10:35,690 --> 00:10:37,790 +Russia is working on its +own satellite Internet + +241 +00:10:37,790 --> 00:10:40,130 +constellation, which it +hopes to begin launching in + +242 +00:10:40,130 --> 00:10:46,270 +2024. Starling's potential +is huge, + +243 +00:10:46,270 --> 00:10:48,670 +provided that the project +can overcome some major + +244 +00:10:48,670 --> 00:10:49,390 +hurdles. + +245 +00:10:49,390 --> 00:10:53,740 +Satellite broadband as a +whole is a industry and a + +246 +00:10:53,740 --> 00:10:57,580 +sector that is just +littered with warning signs + +247 +00:10:57,580 --> 00:11:01,060 +and the corpses of former +companies that have tried to + +248 +00:11:01,060 --> 00:11:04,740 +go out and do what StarLink +is doing already. + +249 +00:11:04,750 --> 00:11:07,000 +It's a little discussed +secret that all of the + +250 +00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,250 +successful satellite +operators today were + +251 +00:11:09,250 --> 00:11:13,510 +subsidized, either through +government subsidies or + +252 +00:11:13,540 --> 00:11:14,590 +through the bankruptcy +court. + +253 +00:11:14,950 --> 00:11:18,010 +In the case of companies +like Iridium and Orbcomm + +254 +00:11:18,010 --> 00:11:21,040 +that went bankrupt in the +1990s, only to recover and + +255 +00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:22,360 +come back for a second act. + +256 +00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:25,120 +One of the challenges of +building out a new satellite + +257 +00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,700 +network is all of the +capital expenditure needs to + +258 +00:11:27,700 --> 00:11:30,550 +go up front before the very +first customer can be signed + +259 +00:11:30,550 --> 00:11:34,030 +up. And that creates a +really tough financial model + +260 +00:11:34,030 --> 00:11:36,880 +in terms of generating the +revenue to both pay for the + +261 +00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,670 +existing constellation as +well as the follow on + +262 +00:11:39,670 --> 00:11:41,650 +satellites that will be +needed to continue the + +263 +00:11:41,650 --> 00:11:42,370 +service. + +264 +00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:43,720 +Space is leadership. + +265 +00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:45,940 +About two or three years +ago estimated that they + +266 +00:11:45,940 --> 00:11:48,670 +thought it would cost +upwards of $10 Billion to + +267 +00:11:48,670 --> 00:11:51,340 +get StarLink running in an +operational capacity. + +268 +00:11:51,340 --> 00:11:55,390 +That's a probably a pretty +fair estimate still today. + +269 +00:11:55,450 --> 00:11:58,300 +Starlink is still fairly +early on in development, so + +270 +00:11:58,300 --> 00:11:59,620 +it's not perfect. + +271 +00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,200 +Spacex makes this clear on +its website, saying that + +272 +00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,270 +there may be periods when +customers experience no + +273 +00:12:04,270 --> 00:12:07,210 +connectivity, but service +will improve as the company + +274 +00:12:07,210 --> 00:12:08,620 +launches more satellites. + +275 +00:12:09,130 --> 00:12:11,530 +However, having thousands +of new satellites orbiting + +276 +00:12:11,530 --> 00:12:13,990 +the Earth comes with its +own set of problems. + +277 +00:12:14,020 --> 00:12:18,220 +Initial launch of SpaceX's +StarLink satellites in May + +278 +00:12:18,220 --> 00:12:20,590 +of 2019 took astronomers by +surprise. + +279 +00:12:21,580 --> 00:12:24,280 +They didn't realize how +bright the satellites would + +280 +00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,830 +be, especially as they're +raising up to final orbit + +281 +00:12:26,830 --> 00:12:27,700 +and how many there would +be. + +282 +00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,330 +So if you looked up, you +would see this long line of + +283 +00:12:31,330 --> 00:12:34,420 +like what looked like slow +moving shooting stars, all + +284 +00:12:34,420 --> 00:12:37,260 +in a perfect line going +across the sky. + +285 +00:12:37,270 --> 00:12:38,920 +So people call them +StarLink trains. + +286 +00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,830 +Now, that brought up a +pretty significant issue, + +287 +00:12:41,830 --> 00:12:44,080 +which is that because they +were so bright, they were so + +288 +00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,020 +clustered together, and +there was increasingly more + +289 +00:12:47,020 --> 00:12:49,000 +and more and more of them +covering different parts of + +290 +00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,520 +the sky. Astronomers +started seeing them pop up + +291 +00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,430 +and really ruining +different imagery and and + +292 +00:12:54,430 --> 00:12:56,800 +causing all sorts of +distortion and effects and + +293 +00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:57,430 +things like that. + +294 +00:12:58,030 --> 00:13:00,250 +This image, taken from a +telescope in Chile in + +295 +00:13:00,250 --> 00:13:03,070 +November 2019, illustrates +the problem. + +296 +00:13:03,340 --> 00:13:06,100 +The telescope, meant to see +images of distant stars and + +297 +00:13:06,100 --> 00:13:09,160 +galaxies, instead captured +the light trails of 19 + +298 +00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:10,510 +StarLink satellites. + +299 +00:13:10,930 --> 00:13:13,360 +While some image processing +tools can be used to remove + +300 +00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,840 +the trails, Walker says +it's not 100% effective. + +301 +00:13:17,110 --> 00:13:19,330 +But SpaceX has not ignored +the problem. + +302 +00:13:19,450 --> 00:13:23,740 +The American Astronomical +Society, the ARS and Noirlab + +303 +00:13:23,740 --> 00:13:27,700 +and others contacted Space +X, and ever since then + +304 +00:13:27,700 --> 00:13:29,710 +they've been so generous +with their time. + +305 +00:13:29,860 --> 00:13:33,970 +And what was just a passing +interest in our concerns + +306 +00:13:33,970 --> 00:13:37,840 +became about half a dozen +people that they have on + +307 +00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,840 +staff that are dedicated to +finding out mitigation + +308 +00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:41,750 +solutions. + +309 +00:13:41,770 --> 00:13:45,370 +Spacex originally tried to +paint them like this dark + +310 +00:13:45,370 --> 00:13:48,820 +material. The problem was +they were still too bright + +311 +00:13:48,820 --> 00:13:52,180 +generally, and they also +got pretty hot. + +312 +00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:54,880 +They instead came up with +what are known as sun + +313 +00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:59,440 +visors, and it helps keep +the reflectivity of the + +314 +00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,920 +solar panels from creating +a lot of light and a lot of + +315 +00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,070 +brightness. The other thing +they did is they changed the + +316 +00:14:06,070 --> 00:14:08,740 +orientation of the +satellites themselves so + +317 +00:14:08,740 --> 00:14:10,870 +that they were more on this +knife's edge. + +318 +00:14:10,870 --> 00:14:13,390 +So instead of the whole +panel catching the sunlight + +319 +00:14:13,390 --> 00:14:15,700 +and reflecting it down to +earth, it was just only a + +320 +00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:16,360 +piece of it. + +321 +00:14:17,140 --> 00:14:19,630 +The huge concentration of +satellites also worries + +322 +00:14:19,630 --> 00:14:22,480 +radio astronomers, who say +that the interference from + +323 +00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:24,550 +radio frequencies of +Internet satellites could + +324 +00:14:24,550 --> 00:14:26,410 +hinder the ability of their +instruments to look for + +325 +00:14:26,410 --> 00:14:28,690 +organic and water molecules +in space. + +326 +00:14:28,990 --> 00:14:30,460 +Then there's the problem of +congestion. + +327 +00:14:31,570 --> 00:14:36,640 +Since Russia first launched +Sputnik in 1957, over 10,600 + +328 +00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,920 +objects have been sent into +outer space. + +329 +00:14:39,130 --> 00:14:41,650 +If Space X were to launch +all the satellites that it's + +330 +00:14:41,650 --> 00:14:44,620 +requested, the company +would by itself be + +331 +00:14:44,620 --> 00:14:47,020 +responsible for almost a +four fold increase in the + +332 +00:14:47,020 --> 00:14:49,750 +number of spacecraft +launched by all of humanity + +333 +00:14:50,020 --> 00:14:52,330 +and with the lifetime of +StarLink satellites only + +334 +00:14:52,330 --> 00:14:53,710 +being around five years. + +335 +00:14:53,740 --> 00:14:56,080 +Experts are also worried +about space debris. + +336 +00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,480 +An idea known as the +Kessler Syndrome summarizes + +337 +00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,090 +just how detrimental having +free floating junk in space + +338 +00:15:01,090 --> 00:15:01,960 +can be. + +339 +00:15:01,990 --> 00:15:04,840 +The Kessler Syndrome can be +described as two satellites + +340 +00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,480 +that collide, and they +create more debris that will + +341 +00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:09,760 +collide with other +satellites. And this creates + +342 +00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:10,690 +orbits that are just +unusable. + +343 +00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,080 +For its part, SpaceX has +said that it plans to + +344 +00:15:14,090 --> 00:15:16,180 +deorbit satellites that are +nearing the end of their + +345 +00:15:16,180 --> 00:15:18,910 +life by pushing them back +into Earth's atmosphere + +346 +00:15:18,910 --> 00:15:19,870 +where they burn up during +reentry. + +347 +00:15:20,530 --> 00:15:23,830 +All of space is satellites +have propulsion systems on + +348 +00:15:23,830 --> 00:15:26,620 +board, which theoretically +are more than sufficient to + +349 +00:15:26,620 --> 00:15:29,500 +deorbit a satellite in a +very reasonable period of + +350 +00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:33,460 +time. However, if the +satellite communication is + +351 +00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:37,630 +lost, which has happened in +certain cases, you lose the + +352 +00:15:37,630 --> 00:15:40,630 +ability to tell the +satellite to deorbit itself. + +353 +00:15:40,660 --> 00:15:43,030 +In other cases, the +propulsion. System itself + +354 +00:15:43,030 --> 00:15:45,970 +may have failed. And when +you're launching over 4000 + +355 +00:15:45,970 --> 00:15:49,570 +satellites, all it takes is +a very small failure rate to + +356 +00:15:49,570 --> 00:15:50,680 +create a lot of space +debris. + +357 +00:15:51,310 --> 00:15:53,260 +Jonathan McDowell, an +astronomer at the + +358 +00:15:53,260 --> 00:15:56,050 +Harvard-Smithsonian Center +for Astrophysics, has been + +359 +00:15:56,050 --> 00:15:58,300 +tracking starlings failure +rates and says they've + +360 +00:15:58,300 --> 00:15:59,980 +improved for now. + +361 +00:15:59,980 --> 00:16:02,410 +Dealing with space debris +is still largely left up to + +362 +00:16:02,410 --> 00:16:03,640 +individual companies. + +363 +00:16:03,670 --> 00:16:08,650 +There is no enforceable law +that can cause a company to + +364 +00:16:08,650 --> 00:16:10,840 +de-orbit a satellite that +has failed. + +365 +00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,620 +Generally speaking, the +FCC, along with other + +366 +00:16:14,620 --> 00:16:18,970 +governmental agencies, have +rules out guidelines to + +367 +00:16:18,970 --> 00:16:21,040 +deorbit satellites within +25 years. + +368 +00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,010 +But there's no enforcement +mechanism that could cause a + +369 +00:16:24,010 --> 00:16:26,590 +company to spend money to +actively deorbit a + +370 +00:16:26,590 --> 00:16:28,240 +satellite, at least today. + +371 +00:16:28,300 --> 00:16:30,910 +But experts like Walker are +pushing for more national + +372 +00:16:30,910 --> 00:16:33,610 +and international oversight +of satellite makers. + +373 +00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,220 +The United Nations Office +for Outer Space Affairs is + +374 +00:16:36,220 --> 00:16:38,020 +already looking at ways to +mitigate the effects of + +375 +00:16:38,020 --> 00:16:40,510 +light and radio pollution +coming from satellites. + +376 +00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:42,760 +In the US, the Biden +administration recently + +377 +00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,410 +announced that it would +continue the National Space + +378 +00:16:44,410 --> 00:16:46,780 +Council, which will assist +the president in setting + +379 +00:16:46,780 --> 00:16:48,340 +national space policies. + +380 +00:16:50,290 --> 00:16:52,600 +Plans to spin off StarLink +into a separate company have + +381 +00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,330 +been swirling since last +year and earlier this year + +382 +00:16:55,330 --> 00:16:56,740 +must confirm the idea. + +383 +00:16:56,770 --> 00:16:59,260 +Elon Musk again making +headlines this morning, this + +384 +00:16:59,260 --> 00:17:02,590 +time with SpaceX saying its +broadband satellite business + +385 +00:17:02,590 --> 00:17:04,890 +will go public eventually. + +386 +00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:07,540 +Musk tweeting, quote, Once +we can predict cash flow + +387 +00:17:07,540 --> 00:17:10,869 +reasonably well, StarLink +will IPO, but warning that + +388 +00:17:10,869 --> 00:17:12,550 +the business will need to +pass through a. + +389 +00:17:12,550 --> 00:17:13,060 +Quote, deep. + +390 +00:17:13,060 --> 00:17:15,790 +Chasm of negative cash flow +over the next year or so. + +391 +00:17:15,790 --> 00:17:18,280 +To actually make that +financially viable spinning + +392 +00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,140 +off the part of SpaceX that +has the most earning + +393 +00:17:20,140 --> 00:17:22,839 +potential may seem +counterintuitive, but + +394 +00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:25,180 +experts say there could be +some benefits. + +395 +00:17:25,180 --> 00:17:29,170 +Right now, StarLink is a +huge cash use for the SpaceX + +396 +00:17:29,350 --> 00:17:32,590 +business. And if it were +spun out independently and + +397 +00:17:32,590 --> 00:17:35,920 +charging back, paying +SpaceX X for those launches, + +398 +00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,280 +it would obviously boost +the revenues of the + +399 +00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,020 +remaining SpaceX business. + +400 +00:17:41,020 --> 00:17:44,470 +If SpaceX is still the +majority owner of StarLink + +401 +00:17:44,470 --> 00:17:47,680 +after it spins off, then +the company can still see + +402 +00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,950 +that revenue stream, still +see the benefits of that + +403 +00:17:50,950 --> 00:17:54,760 +service. But it's then +de-risking the overall space + +404 +00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,970 +company, if you will, by +having it operate as a + +405 +00:17:57,970 --> 00:18:00,880 +separate business so that +if StarLink does fail or + +406 +00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:02,980 +does go bankrupt or +something bad happens to + +407 +00:18:02,980 --> 00:18:04,720 +StarLink, then it's not +damaging. + +408 +00:18:05,290 --> 00:18:09,310 +The core SpaceX X business +as much as it would is if it + +409 +00:18:09,310 --> 00:18:12,370 +was still in the entire +private fold of the company. + +410 +00:18:12,550 --> 00:18:14,950 +Spacex is currently the +leader in low-Earth orbit + +411 +00:18:14,950 --> 00:18:18,040 +satellite Internet, but +competition is heating up. + +412 +00:18:18,460 --> 00:18:21,670 +Amazon has said that it +will invest over $10 billion + +413 +00:18:21,670 --> 00:18:24,310 +in its satellite Internet +network known as Project + +414 +00:18:24,310 --> 00:18:27,910 +Kuiper. Uk satellite maker +Oneweb recently launched + +415 +00:18:27,910 --> 00:18:30,460 +another 36 satellites into +orbit, bringing its total + +416 +00:18:30,460 --> 00:18:31,930 +number to 146. + +417 +00:18:31,930 --> 00:18:34,480 +The company says it expects +to begin limited service by + +418 +00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,480 +the end of the year, though +unlike SpaceX, its service + +419 +00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:39,520 +is geared towards +enterprise customers. + +420 +00:18:39,610 --> 00:18:42,580 +Finally, Canadian satellite +company Telesat has said + +421 +00:18:42,580 --> 00:18:44,260 +that it will begin +commercial services for its + +422 +00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:47,020 +satellite Internet in the +second half of 2023. + +423 +00:18:47,290 --> 00:18:50,590 +If StarLink is successful, +it may ultimately do more + +424 +00:18:50,620 --> 00:18:53,620 +than just fund Musk's +vision for a colony on Mars. + +425 +00:18:53,710 --> 00:18:57,610 +Spacex put in the startling +terms and agreements that + +426 +00:18:57,610 --> 00:19:01,390 +there is a bylaws in +regards to how their service + +427 +00:19:01,390 --> 00:19:03,850 +will be treated for people +on Mars. + +428 +00:19:03,850 --> 00:19:06,790 +And so SpaceX is already +looking down that path and + +429 +00:19:06,790 --> 00:19:09,520 +seeing, okay, well, we can +have StarLink satellites + +430 +00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,700 +around Earth in orbit, but +then we can also put them in + +431 +00:19:12,940 --> 00:19:16,240 +orbit around Mars and then +just connect the two and + +432 +00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,660 +have this expansive not +just a global satellite + +433 +00:19:19,660 --> 00:19:22,210 +system, but a multi +planetary satellite system. + +434 +00:19:22,420 --> 00:19:25,420 +But for now, earthlings are +glad that StarLink exists, + +435 +00:19:25,420 --> 00:19:26,260 +even if it's not yet +perfect. + +436 +00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:29,350 +When they first reached out +to us, they did label their + +437 +00:19:29,350 --> 00:19:31,600 +beta tests as the better +than nothing beta test. + +438 +00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,910 +And for people like me, +it's 100% better than + +439 +00:19:33,910 --> 00:19:34,540 +nothing. + +440 +00:19:47,740 --> 00:19:51,190 +Spacex CEO Elon Musk thinks +that the holy grail to + +441 +00:19:51,190 --> 00:19:54,550 +making life multi-planetary +lies in humanity's ability + +442 +00:19:54,550 --> 00:19:57,400 +to make a completely +reusable rocket system that + +443 +00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,800 +can carry a massive amount +of equipment, supplies and + +444 +00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,600 +people deep into space. + +445 +00:20:01,630 --> 00:20:03,130 +That's why SpaceX created +Starship. + +446 +00:20:04,060 --> 00:20:06,640 +The critical threshold to +pass. + +447 +00:20:07,300 --> 00:20:10,870 +One of the most important +great filters for any + +448 +00:20:10,870 --> 00:20:16,900 +species is to have have the +other planet no + +449 +00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:20,440 +longer dependent on on the +original planet. + +450 +00:20:20,470 --> 00:20:22,450 +Starship is capable of +doing that. + +451 +00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:25,750 +It's capable of getting a +million tons surface of Mars + +452 +00:20:25,750 --> 00:20:28,570 +and creating a +self-sustaining city. + +453 +00:20:28,570 --> 00:20:30,130 +And I think we should try +to do that as soon as we + +454 +00:20:30,130 --> 00:20:30,670 +can. + +455 +00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,050 +Starship is SpaceX's largest +reusable rocket. + +456 +00:20:34,060 --> 00:20:36,160 +The company has been +testing Starship prototypes + +457 +00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,850 +for several years, but none +so far have reached SpaceX, + +458 +00:20:39,850 --> 00:20:42,400 +as SpaceX has encountered +both technical and + +459 +00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:43,900 +regulatory hurdles. + +460 +00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,520 +Aside from a potential +breakthrough for space + +461 +00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,000 +travel, Starship is in many +ways also indispensable for + +462 +00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,500 +the future of Space X. + +463 +00:20:53,620 --> 00:20:57,910 +Many analysts and experts +have said if SpaceX succeeds + +464 +00:20:57,910 --> 00:21:02,200 +with Starship and therefore +with StarLink, that could + +465 +00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:07,030 +create and generate space +into a company that's not on + +466 +00:21:07,030 --> 00:21:09,370 +a $100 billion valuation +company, but + +467 +00:21:09,370 --> 00:21:11,890 +$1,000,000,000,000 +valuation company or more. + +468 +00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,290 +Private sector funding and +space related companies + +469 +00:21:14,290 --> 00:21:18,190 +topped $10 Billion in 2021, +a tenfold increase over the + +470 +00:21:18,190 --> 00:21:19,270 +past decade. + +471 +00:21:19,300 --> 00:21:21,730 +Traditionally, most of that +funding has concentrated on + +472 +00:21:21,730 --> 00:21:24,040 +activities closer to earth, +such as building out + +473 +00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:25,590 +satellite communications. + +474 +00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,090 +But there's evidence that +this may be changing. + +475 +00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:29,650 +Recently, there's been +increased. + +476 +00:21:30,490 --> 00:21:32,320 +Focus on lunar. + +477 +00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:33,640 +So the moon and beyond. + +478 +00:21:33,670 --> 00:21:34,540 +Think Moon. + +479 +00:21:34,540 --> 00:21:35,300 +Mars. + +480 +00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:36,520 +Deeper planetary +exploration. + +481 +00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:40,450 +Lunar Beyond investment was +about. + +482 +00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:42,310 +$1 billion. + +483 +00:21:42,310 --> 00:21:46,840 +From private investors in +2021, the highest sum we'd + +484 +00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:47,950 +seen to date. + +485 +00:21:54,050 --> 00:21:56,600 +Even before founding +SpaceX, Elon Musk had + +486 +00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,270 +dreamed of reaching Mars +and Starship is the means to + +487 +00:21:59,270 --> 00:22:02,570 +that end. The first thing +you notice about Starship is + +488 +00:22:02,570 --> 00:22:04,010 +that it's monstrous. + +489 +00:22:04,100 --> 00:22:06,230 +The vehicle is made up of +two stainless steel + +490 +00:22:06,230 --> 00:22:09,380 +components. At the bottom +stands, the first stage + +491 +00:22:09,380 --> 00:22:10,730 +super heavy booster. + +492 +00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,160 +Stacked on top is the +second stage starship + +493 +00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,800 +spacecraft, which will be +able to carry more than 100 + +494 +00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,230 +metric tons of cargo and +crew per launch. + +495 +00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:19,970 +Collectively referred to as +Starship. + +496 +00:22:20,780 --> 00:22:23,390 +The two components loom +nearly 400 feet into the + +497 +00:22:23,390 --> 00:22:26,510 +air, almost 100 feet taller +than the Statue of Liberty. + +498 +00:22:26,750 --> 00:22:29,180 +To get all of this weight +off the ground is no easy + +499 +00:22:29,180 --> 00:22:32,930 +task and will require 33 of +SpaceX's Raptor engines for + +500 +00:22:32,930 --> 00:22:35,270 +the booster and another +seven engines for the + +501 +00:22:35,270 --> 00:22:36,650 +Starship Spacecraft. + +502 +00:22:36,830 --> 00:22:39,860 +To get an idea of just how +powerful Starship is, it's + +503 +00:22:39,860 --> 00:22:42,590 +helpful to compare it to +Saturn five, which was the + +504 +00:22:42,590 --> 00:22:44,900 +rocket used by NASA to send +astronauts to the moon + +505 +00:22:44,900 --> 00:22:46,140 +during the Apollo mission. + +506 +00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,100 +The Saturn five was seven +and a half million pounds of + +507 +00:22:49,100 --> 00:22:52,400 +thrust and Starship is 17. + +508 +00:22:53,060 --> 00:22:55,550 +So it's more than twice the +thrust of a Saturn five, + +509 +00:22:55,550 --> 00:22:57,980 +which was the largest +rocket ever to get to orbit. + +510 +00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,610 +Musk says SpaceX's next +generation rocket is also + +511 +00:23:01,610 --> 00:23:02,930 +more economical than Saturn +five. + +512 +00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,620 +The cost efficiency of Space +X is the best in history, I + +513 +00:23:06,620 --> 00:23:07,730 +think, for for any rocket +development. + +514 +00:23:08,330 --> 00:23:11,210 +We are talking about a +rocket that's more than + +515 +00:23:11,210 --> 00:23:14,210 +twice the mass and thrust +of a Saturn five and also + +516 +00:23:14,210 --> 00:23:16,250 +designed to be fully +reusable, which is obviously + +517 +00:23:16,250 --> 00:23:18,860 +also much better for from +an environmental standpoint + +518 +00:23:18,860 --> 00:23:21,290 +to have a fully reusable +rocket for a development + +519 +00:23:21,290 --> 00:23:24,620 +cost that is between five +and 10% of Saturn five. + +520 +00:23:24,860 --> 00:23:26,390 +The key to lowering costs is +reusability. + +521 +00:23:27,830 --> 00:23:30,380 +Spacex sells its smaller +Falcon nine rockets for + +522 +00:23:30,380 --> 00:23:34,070 +between 60 and $90 million, +but has brought the cost per + +523 +00:23:34,100 --> 00:23:36,650 +launch down to under 30 +million by landing the + +524 +00:23:36,650 --> 00:23:39,680 +booster. The most expensive +part of the rocket and using + +525 +00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,070 +it multiple times with +Starship, SpaceX hopes to go + +526 +00:23:43,070 --> 00:23:46,190 +one step further, reusing +both the Starship spacecraft + +527 +00:23:46,190 --> 00:23:47,270 +and the booster. + +528 +00:23:47,300 --> 00:23:51,200 +The booster is going to take +off and then fly back to the + +529 +00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,380 +launch tower and +aspirationally land on the + +530 +00:23:54,380 --> 00:23:56,420 +arms, which just sounded +insane. + +531 +00:23:56,990 --> 00:24:03,440 +If it does come in too fast +and and shear off the arms, + +532 +00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,350 +then I guess it will be a +farewell to arms. + +533 +00:24:08,510 --> 00:24:10,640 +The retrieval of the +Starship spacecraft seems + +534 +00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:11,960 +equally challenging. + +535 +00:24:12,350 --> 00:24:15,020 +The idea is for Starship to +reenter Earth's atmosphere + +536 +00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:17,480 +on its side, its heat +shield covered belly, + +537 +00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,790 +protecting the vehicle from +the intense temperature + +538 +00:24:20,150 --> 00:24:21,300 +closer to the ground. + +539 +00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:23,990 +Starship's Raptor engines +will kick in and flip the + +540 +00:24:23,990 --> 00:24:25,040 +vehicle vertically for +landing. + +541 +00:24:27,420 --> 00:24:30,180 +Starship has yet to fly any +missions, but the project + +542 +00:24:30,180 --> 00:24:32,520 +has already brought in some +major funding for SpaceX. + +543 +00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:36,990 +Spacex has new contract +revenue streams through a + +544 +00:24:36,990 --> 00:24:41,910 +major NASA deal to use +Starship for the agency's + +545 +00:24:41,910 --> 00:24:45,330 +Artemis program to deliver +astronauts to the moon's + +546 +00:24:45,330 --> 00:24:47,850 +surface by the middle of +this decade. + +547 +00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:51,150 +Spacex was the sole winner +of the nearly $3 billion + +548 +00:24:51,150 --> 00:24:54,360 +contract, beating out Blue +Origin and Dynetics. + +549 +00:24:54,390 --> 00:24:57,150 +Nasa's began paying in +hundreds of millions of + +550 +00:24:57,150 --> 00:25:00,180 +dollars to SpaceX already +towards that development + +551 +00:25:00,180 --> 00:25:00,870 +contract. + +552 +00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:03,090 +The majority of SpaceX's +revenue comes from its + +553 +00:25:03,090 --> 00:25:03,990 +launch business. + +554 +00:25:03,990 --> 00:25:07,410 +The Falcon nine and Falcon +heavy series of rockets have + +555 +00:25:07,410 --> 00:25:11,940 +been generating upwards of +2 to $3 billion of revenue a + +556 +00:25:11,940 --> 00:25:13,160 +year for the company. + +557 +00:25:13,170 --> 00:25:15,330 +They've been able to +generate a lot of returns + +558 +00:25:15,330 --> 00:25:19,200 +through rideshare programs, +through delivering cargo and + +559 +00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,450 +astronauts to the +International Space Station + +560 +00:25:21,450 --> 00:25:24,390 +for NASA and other +international partners, and + +561 +00:25:24,390 --> 00:25:27,690 +more recently, been delving +into flying private + +562 +00:25:27,690 --> 00:25:28,680 +astronauts. + +563 +00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,430 +But SpaceX says golden egg +will likely be StarLink, a + +564 +00:25:32,430 --> 00:25:34,500 +satellite Internet business +which is expected to + +565 +00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:37,050 +eventually surpass SpaceX's +rocket business. + +566 +00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,320 +Elon Musk has previously +estimated that the company's + +567 +00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,650 +StarLink business could +generate revenues of upwards + +568 +00:25:43,650 --> 00:25:45,660 +of $30 billion a year. + +569 +00:25:45,690 --> 00:25:48,120 +Starlink is a global +Internet satellite network + +570 +00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:50,070 +made up of thousands of +satellites known as a + +571 +00:25:50,070 --> 00:25:53,790 +Constellation. Spacex has +so far launched around 2000 + +572 +00:25:53,790 --> 00:25:56,880 +satellites, but the company +has said that around 12,000 + +573 +00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,010 +satellites would be needed +before the constellation is + +574 +00:25:59,010 --> 00:26:00,210 +fully operational. + +575 +00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,490 +Eventually, SpaceX hopes to +bump that number up to + +576 +00:26:02,490 --> 00:26:04,200 +42,000 satellites. + +577 +00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,590 +The service has over +145,000 customers, but + +578 +00:26:07,590 --> 00:26:10,080 +startup costs for the +project are steep, and + +579 +00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,780 +SpaceX is currently losing +money on StarLink. + +580 +00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,170 +Musk recently expanded +StarLink service to Ukraine + +581 +00:26:16,170 --> 00:26:17,820 +at the request of the +country's vice prime + +582 +00:26:17,820 --> 00:26:21,360 +minister. In early March, +Musk tweeted that Starship + +583 +00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:24,510 +Development may be delayed +as SpaceX focuses on aiding + +584 +00:26:24,510 --> 00:26:25,320 +Ukraine. + +585 +00:26:25,590 --> 00:26:29,250 +Under the current deployment +plan for getting the number + +586 +00:26:29,250 --> 00:26:33,060 +of StarLink satellites that +SpaceX needs in orbit to get + +587 +00:26:33,060 --> 00:26:37,230 +the system truly +operational and global and + +588 +00:26:37,230 --> 00:26:40,350 +providing service as +broadly as they desire. + +589 +00:26:40,380 --> 00:26:43,920 +It's very, very difficult +to see how SpaceX will be + +590 +00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,790 +able to achieve that in +both a cost efficient and a + +591 +00:26:47,790 --> 00:26:51,030 +timely manner without +Starship Falcon nine + +592 +00:26:51,030 --> 00:26:55,230 +currently can carry roughly +50 to 60 StarLink satellites + +593 +00:26:55,230 --> 00:26:57,000 +at a time into low-Earth +orbit. + +594 +00:26:57,420 --> 00:27:01,200 +However, SpaceX executives +have said before that the + +595 +00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,560 +goal was Starship, and its +current design is to launch + +596 +00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:08,370 +400 StarLink satellites at +a time into low-Earth orbit. + +597 +00:27:09,420 --> 00:27:11,940 +With the fates of Starship +and StarLink so closely + +598 +00:27:11,940 --> 00:27:14,820 +intertwined, the pressure +is on for SpaceX to get + +599 +00:27:14,820 --> 00:27:16,130 +Starship off the ground. + +600 +00:27:16,140 --> 00:27:18,720 +But the company faces some +steep challenges. + +601 +00:27:18,900 --> 00:27:21,720 +Right now of of any +technical problem. + +602 +00:27:22,770 --> 00:27:27,140 +I'm spending the most time +personally on on Raptor two. + +603 +00:27:27,150 --> 00:27:30,390 +In November of 2021, Musk +sent out a companywide email + +604 +00:27:30,390 --> 00:27:33,030 +to SpaceX employees, +warning them that a Raptor + +605 +00:27:33,030 --> 00:27:35,670 +engine production crisis +created a risk of bankruptcy + +606 +00:27:35,670 --> 00:27:38,760 +for the company. Later, +Musk seemed to temper his + +607 +00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,190 +message on Twitter, saying +that while bankruptcy was + +608 +00:27:41,190 --> 00:27:42,510 +unlikely, it was not +impossible. + +609 +00:27:44,070 --> 00:27:46,410 +More recently, Musk said +that SpaceX is making good + +610 +00:27:46,410 --> 00:27:48,750 +progress with regard to +Raptor two production. + +611 +00:27:48,780 --> 00:27:52,740 +We're close to achieving a +Raptor to every day + +612 +00:27:52,740 --> 00:27:56,280 +production rate, so we're +sort of seven a week, which + +613 +00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:57,660 +is tough for a complex +engine. + +614 +00:27:58,860 --> 00:28:02,700 +And I think by the end of +this year, we'll be able to + +615 +00:28:02,700 --> 00:28:05,070 +produce a ship and a +booster per month. + +616 +00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:07,800 +The only remaining issue +that we're aware of is + +617 +00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,950 +melting. The chamber is +like on the order of a + +618 +00:28:10,950 --> 00:28:12,600 +gigawatt of of heat. + +619 +00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:14,970 +So it's like what a nuclear +power plant produces. + +620 +00:28:14,970 --> 00:28:18,150 +So it really is desperately +trying to melt at any point + +621 +00:28:18,150 --> 00:28:18,810 +in time. + +622 +00:28:18,930 --> 00:28:21,330 +In order to understand this +challenge, it helps to know + +623 +00:28:21,330 --> 00:28:23,400 +a little bit about rocket +engine design. + +624 +00:28:23,550 --> 00:28:24,720 +A rocket engine in. + +625 +00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:25,740 +A simple form. + +626 +00:28:25,740 --> 00:28:28,920 +It's simple. You just have a +what was the first? + +627 +00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,430 +It was a thrust chamber, a +combustion chamber. + +628 +00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:36,870 +You just bring in oxygen +and your fuel and you're + +629 +00:28:36,870 --> 00:28:37,890 +burning it into that +chamber. + +630 +00:28:38,580 --> 00:28:41,040 +The that challenges that +chamber is running at. + +631 +00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,500 +Really, really high +pressures and. + +632 +00:28:43,500 --> 00:28:46,890 +Really, really high +temperatures. So doing that + +633 +00:28:46,890 --> 00:28:50,160 +means that, you know, first +is I need to be higher + +634 +00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:52,950 +pressure to push the +propellant in, but then this + +635 +00:28:52,950 --> 00:28:53,460 +chamber. + +636 +00:28:53,460 --> 00:28:55,170 +Has to be able to handle. + +637 +00:28:55,170 --> 00:28:57,990 +The temperatures that is +seen inside. + +638 +00:28:58,170 --> 00:29:00,030 +As the oxygen and fuel burn. + +639 +00:29:00,030 --> 00:29:02,670 +They eject a high pressure +gas from the nozzle, which + +640 +00:29:02,700 --> 00:29:04,740 +in turn propels the rocket +into the air. + +641 +00:29:05,190 --> 00:29:07,740 +While most rocket engines +use either kerosene or + +642 +00:29:07,740 --> 00:29:10,560 +hydrogen as fuel, SpaceX +decided to make its raptor. + +643 +00:29:10,590 --> 00:29:12,210 +Two engines run on methane. + +644 +00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:13,260 +Based used. + +645 +00:29:13,500 --> 00:29:16,020 +Methane primarily because +it's the perfect. + +646 +00:29:16,020 --> 00:29:20,430 +Balance between hydrogen +being an expensive fuel. + +647 +00:29:20,430 --> 00:29:22,650 +And challenging to operate. + +648 +00:29:23,100 --> 00:29:24,480 +Versus kerosene. + +649 +00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:25,800 +Which is, yes, it's cheaper. + +650 +00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:27,290 +But energy density. + +651 +00:29:27,290 --> 00:29:28,820 +Is lower compared to +methane. + +652 +00:29:29,750 --> 00:29:31,850 +The key challenges with +using methane. + +653 +00:29:31,850 --> 00:29:34,610 +Is that it will run actually +hotter than the typical + +654 +00:29:34,610 --> 00:29:38,420 +kerosene. So SpaceX have +publicly noted that they've + +655 +00:29:38,420 --> 00:29:41,930 +developed special alloys to +handle the higher + +656 +00:29:41,930 --> 00:29:43,430 +temperature of methane. + +657 +00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,820 +But despite these +challenges, methane also has + +658 +00:29:46,820 --> 00:29:47,930 +other advantages. + +659 +00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,200 +One of the components that +throw these engines is fuel + +660 +00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,340 +cloaking, which is worse +with rocket propellant, + +661 +00:29:55,340 --> 00:29:56,930 +kerosene based fuels. + +662 +00:29:56,930 --> 00:29:59,780 +But it's actually less of a +problem with methane. + +663 +00:30:00,350 --> 00:30:03,650 +Coking is essentially the +the soot that you see coming + +664 +00:30:03,650 --> 00:30:05,760 +out of your car exhaust. + +665 +00:30:05,780 --> 00:30:10,070 +It's primarily unburnt fuel +that is essentially heated + +666 +00:30:10,070 --> 00:30:12,170 +at really high temperatures +and pressures. + +667 +00:30:12,170 --> 00:30:13,850 +And that could go into +fuel. + +668 +00:30:14,150 --> 00:30:15,500 +Injectors inside the. + +669 +00:30:15,500 --> 00:30:17,570 +Engine. It could coke. + +670 +00:30:17,570 --> 00:30:21,170 +Surfaces, influences your +efficiency of your engine. + +671 +00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,750 +Another plus that Elon Musk +has talked about in the past + +672 +00:30:23,750 --> 00:30:26,840 +is the ability to easily +create methane on Mars and + +673 +00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,090 +use it as a fuel for the +return trip to Earth. + +674 +00:30:29,810 --> 00:30:32,120 +Spacex has steadily been +building up its testing and + +675 +00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,150 +production facility known +as Starbase in Boca Chica, + +676 +00:30:35,150 --> 00:30:37,040 +Texas, since 2015. + +677 +00:30:37,340 --> 00:30:40,550 +The move has garnered mixed +reactions from locals, some + +678 +00:30:40,550 --> 00:30:42,500 +saying that Starbase has +helped create jobs and + +679 +00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:45,200 +attract tourists, and +others claiming the complex + +680 +00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,600 +has displaced a beachfront +community and endangered + +681 +00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,600 +wildlife. Early tests of +Starship have also been a + +682 +00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,810 +mixed bag. While SpaceX has +had a number of successful + +683 +00:30:53,810 --> 00:30:56,390 +Starship launches, the +company has lost several + +684 +00:30:56,390 --> 00:30:57,650 +prototypes during landing +attempts. + +685 +00:31:00,330 --> 00:31:03,540 +In May 2021, SpaceX +successfully completed its + +686 +00:31:03,540 --> 00:31:06,600 +first high altitude test +without the starship rocket + +687 +00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,350 +being destroyed. Besides +technical problems, Starship + +688 +00:31:10,350 --> 00:31:11,610 +also faces regulatory +challenges. + +689 +00:31:12,540 --> 00:31:15,960 +The next major milestone for +Starship is the orbital + +690 +00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,690 +flight test. They've been +really trying to get across + +691 +00:31:18,690 --> 00:31:21,510 +this major hurdle of +getting an environmental + +692 +00:31:21,510 --> 00:31:24,030 +assessment completed by the +Federal Aviation + +693 +00:31:24,030 --> 00:31:26,760 +Administration, which would +give them the key launch + +694 +00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:30,990 +license to take those tests +from just short flights to + +695 +00:31:31,050 --> 00:31:32,610 +all the way launching into +space. + +696 +00:31:33,510 --> 00:31:35,790 +The FAA has said it would +complete its environmental + +697 +00:31:35,790 --> 00:31:38,850 +assessment by March 28, but +that date could be pushed + +698 +00:31:38,850 --> 00:31:40,860 +further if the agency +decides that it needs more + +699 +00:31:40,860 --> 00:31:42,450 +time to do a deeper review. + +700 +00:31:42,900 --> 00:31:45,660 +Musk said that if this were +the case, SpaceX would + +701 +00:31:45,660 --> 00:31:48,150 +consider launching Starship +from its other location in + +702 +00:31:48,150 --> 00:31:48,750 +Florida. + +703 +00:31:48,780 --> 00:31:52,170 +I guess our worst case +scenario is that we would be + +704 +00:31:52,170 --> 00:31:58,020 +delayed for four, six, six +or 6 to 8 months to build up + +705 +00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,500 +the Cape launch tower and +launch from there. + +706 +00:32:01,590 --> 00:32:03,370 +Spacex is $100 Billion. + +707 +00:32:03,450 --> 00:32:06,090 +Valuation makes it one of +the most valuable private + +708 +00:32:06,090 --> 00:32:07,380 +companies in the world. + +709 +00:32:07,380 --> 00:32:09,570 +For the last several years, +they've been raising + +710 +00:32:09,570 --> 00:32:12,240 +billions of dollars +annually from a broad range + +711 +00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,840 +of investors and steadily +increasing their valuation + +712 +00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:17,190 +as far as we can tell. + +713 +00:32:17,220 --> 00:32:19,800 +Most of the funding for +Starship's development comes + +714 +00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:24,150 +from outside investors who +are buying the currently + +715 +00:32:24,150 --> 00:32:28,470 +privately traded stock that +SpaceX X holds in exchange + +716 +00:32:28,470 --> 00:32:31,800 +for capital that the +company can use to fund that + +717 +00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,010 +development. Spacex has +previously said that + +718 +00:32:35,010 --> 00:32:38,520 +Starship would cost upwards +of $5 billion to develop, + +719 +00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:41,250 +whereas the StarLink +satellite Internet program + +720 +00:32:41,250 --> 00:32:43,770 +could cost anywhere between +five and $10 billion to + +721 +00:32:43,770 --> 00:32:46,590 +develop. So investors +getting in at this late + +722 +00:32:46,590 --> 00:32:50,820 +stage might be less willing +to put more money behind the + +723 +00:32:50,820 --> 00:32:53,700 +project if they know that +they've hit a roadblock. + +724 +00:32:53,700 --> 00:32:56,760 +Beyond just benefiting +SpaceX. Experts believe that + +725 +00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:58,890 +having a rocket like +Starship that's able to log + +726 +00:32:58,890 --> 00:33:01,740 +a massive amount of stuff +into space will open up + +727 +00:33:01,740 --> 00:33:02,820 +opportunities for other +companies. + +728 +00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:04,440 +When you look at the +infrastructure. + +729 +00:33:05,100 --> 00:33:07,480 +In space today, the +International Space Station + +730 +00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:07,890 +and other. + +731 +00:33:07,890 --> 00:33:10,560 +Assets, they were required +to be assembled. + +732 +00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:11,370 +Piecemeal. + +733 +00:33:11,370 --> 00:33:12,510 +In space. + +734 +00:33:12,510 --> 00:33:14,130 +Because we were limited. + +735 +00:33:14,130 --> 00:33:17,310 +In the ability to carry mass +to space. + +736 +00:33:17,340 --> 00:33:18,750 +If you now can create. + +737 +00:33:18,750 --> 00:33:21,210 +Much larger systems. + +738 +00:33:21,210 --> 00:33:22,860 +Or infrastructure that can +be. + +739 +00:33:23,100 --> 00:33:27,120 +Brought whole up to space, +it requires less complexity, + +740 +00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:28,350 +less on orbit. + +741 +00:33:28,350 --> 00:33:30,390 +Assembly and thus is. + +742 +00:33:30,390 --> 00:33:31,890 +Overall more efficient. + +743 +00:33:31,890 --> 00:33:34,320 +And helps drive creation of +a space economy. + +744 +00:33:34,590 --> 00:33:37,440 +Musk agrees that Starship +would be widely beneficial. + +745 +00:33:37,530 --> 00:33:40,290 +One of the rebuttals we'll +sometimes hear is like, + +746 +00:33:40,410 --> 00:33:42,570 +Sure, but what about all +the problems on Earth? + +747 +00:33:42,750 --> 00:33:45,870 +And I completely agree that +the vast majority of + +748 +00:33:45,870 --> 00:33:47,880 +resources should be +dedicated to solving + +749 +00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:50,970 +problems on Earth. +Absolutely. I'd say, like + +750 +00:33:50,970 --> 00:33:54,720 +more than 99% of our +resources should be oriented + +751 +00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:56,280 +towards solving problems on +earth. + +752 +00:33:56,730 --> 00:34:00,210 +It's important to note that +NASA's annual budget is only + +753 +00:34:00,270 --> 00:34:05,130 +0.36% of the federal budget +and in fact, of the national + +754 +00:34:05,130 --> 00:34:07,860 +GDP. It's less than a 10th +of a percentage point. + +755 +00:34:07,890 --> 00:34:10,800 +Given that this +establishing security for + +756 +00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:12,989 +life itself and having an +exciting future and + +757 +00:34:12,989 --> 00:34:17,340 +inspiring kids about the +future, I think it's it's + +758 +00:34:17,340 --> 00:34:21,120 +worth it. Let's go out +there and find out what this + +759 +00:34:21,330 --> 00:34:22,739 +universe is all about. + +760 +00:34:33,380 --> 00:34:37,010 +3210. + +761 +00:34:40,010 --> 00:34:42,620 +The rocket business is +heating up and one startup + +762 +00:34:42,620 --> 00:34:45,710 +has grand ambitions of +following SpaceX to orbit. + +763 +00:34:45,739 --> 00:34:49,250 +Firefly is aiming to be the +next space X, a very + +764 +00:34:49,250 --> 00:34:51,500 +transformative space +transportation company. + +765 +00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:54,440 +It aims to be a dominant +launch provider for small + +766 +00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,920 +satellites and payloads up +to 1000 kilograms below what + +767 +00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:00,260 +competitors like SpaceX are +going after. + +768 +00:35:00,410 --> 00:35:02,630 +Above the medium class, you +have Jeff and Elon and the + +769 +00:35:02,630 --> 00:35:05,030 +giant rockets and stuff, +and they can have that. + +770 +00:35:05,030 --> 00:35:06,800 +They can duke it out and +we'll be down there + +771 +00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:08,960 +optimally serving the small +and medium markets. + +772 +00:35:09,230 --> 00:35:10,820 +Its CEO is an industry +veteran. + +773 +00:35:11,690 --> 00:35:14,810 +He has past experience, +first at NASA, then at + +774 +00:35:14,810 --> 00:35:17,120 +SpaceX, Jeff Bezos, Blue +Origin. + +775 +00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:20,360 +More recently after that, +Virgin Galactic. + +776 +00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:22,610 +But even with past +experience, building a + +777 +00:35:22,610 --> 00:35:25,250 +rocket company is not for +the faint of heart. + +778 +00:35:25,340 --> 00:35:27,690 +Most rocket companies do not +succeed, right? + +779 +00:35:27,740 --> 00:35:28,730 +They just don't. + +780 +00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,490 +Greater than 90% of the +whole vehicle is just rocket + +781 +00:35:31,490 --> 00:35:34,370 +fuel. So you're having to +push every piece of that + +782 +00:35:34,370 --> 00:35:37,220 +rocket right to the edge of +breaking, but not breaking. + +783 +00:35:37,340 --> 00:35:38,640 +And they're not cheap. + +784 +00:35:38,660 --> 00:35:42,590 +How about $250 million into +this project before we even + +785 +00:35:42,590 --> 00:35:44,720 +tried to fly the rocket the +first time? + +786 +00:35:44,730 --> 00:35:47,630 +Over the last ten years, +there's been $6 billion + +787 +00:35:47,630 --> 00:35:51,050 +invested into about 100 +small launch vehicles, and + +788 +00:35:51,050 --> 00:35:53,600 +that has produced one +orbital vehicle. + +789 +00:35:53,780 --> 00:35:56,600 +But Tom Markovich and others +are chasing a vision where + +790 +00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,280 +space is more accessible. + +791 +00:35:58,310 --> 00:36:02,000 +A Henry Ford, he decided to +build a car for everyone. + +792 +00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,390 +The Model T. We're sort of +creating the Model T of the + +793 +00:36:05,390 --> 00:36:06,710 +21st century. + +794 +00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:09,830 +We have been operating in +space for decades, but the + +795 +00:36:09,830 --> 00:36:12,050 +market has been really +limited. On the one hand, + +796 +00:36:12,050 --> 00:36:14,660 +you've got a handful of +defense contractors and on + +797 +00:36:14,660 --> 00:36:16,100 +the other hand, you have +the government. + +798 +00:36:16,250 --> 00:36:17,990 +Until SpaceX came in. + +799 +00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,450 +Spacex has ignited a frenzy +in aerospace, spawning + +800 +00:36:24,450 --> 00:36:26,850 +numerous startups hoping to +build the next great space + +801 +00:36:26,850 --> 00:36:27,520 +company. + +802 +00:36:27,540 --> 00:36:30,000 +One of the main reasons I +love SpaceX is I realized + +803 +00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,080 +there needed to be more +space X's in the world. + +804 +00:36:32,100 --> 00:36:36,420 +We have seen 1600 SpaceX +companies raise $230 Billion + +805 +00:36:36,420 --> 00:36:37,470 +over the last ten years. + +806 +00:36:37,650 --> 00:36:40,980 +Over $10.3 billion in +private capital has been put + +807 +00:36:40,980 --> 00:36:43,980 +into space companies in +2021, exceeding the previous + +808 +00:36:43,980 --> 00:36:45,920 +record last year of $9.8 +billion. + +809 +00:36:46,860 --> 00:36:50,250 +Spacex recently surpassed +an estimated $100 billion + +810 +00:36:50,340 --> 00:36:53,490 +valuation. And while Musk's +company represents one end + +811 +00:36:53,490 --> 00:36:55,980 +of the spectrum, numerous +upstarts are attracting + +812 +00:36:55,980 --> 00:36:57,220 +respectable interest. + +813 +00:36:57,240 --> 00:36:59,400 +There's a number of +companies which are maybe + +814 +00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:03,330 +within a year of trying to +reach orbit or even have + +815 +00:37:03,330 --> 00:37:06,000 +tried to reach orbit +already. And those companies + +816 +00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,520 +are the next players to +really enter the + +817 +00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:09,510 +competition. + +818 +00:37:09,690 --> 00:37:12,480 +While the rewards are great, +the risks are high. + +819 +00:37:12,510 --> 00:37:14,970 +Firefly already suffered +through a bankruptcy and is + +820 +00:37:14,970 --> 00:37:15,870 +still trying to reach +orbit. + +821 +00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:19,440 +Firefly didn't come into +existence with a silver + +822 +00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:20,470 +spoon in its mouth. + +823 +00:37:20,490 --> 00:37:24,510 +It's had to claw and fight +for every penny that it has. + +824 +00:37:24,510 --> 00:37:25,950 +And then it lost it. + +825 +00:37:25,950 --> 00:37:28,140 +And then it came back. + +826 +00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,980 +It is not a mystery that +there is a Phenix painted on + +827 +00:37:31,980 --> 00:37:32,730 +that rocket. + +828 +00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,610 +I got one of those model +rockets when I was in fifth + +829 +00:37:52,610 --> 00:37:55,160 +grade, and that really kind +of set me on the course to + +830 +00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,380 +where I am right now. +Believe it or not, it was + +831 +00:37:57,380 --> 00:37:59,090 +something very different +when I went out and I launch + +832 +00:37:59,090 --> 00:38:01,580 +that model rocket out in +Ohio and saw the smoke and + +833 +00:38:01,580 --> 00:38:03,590 +the sound and everything, +it just kind of drew me in. + +834 +00:38:05,390 --> 00:38:07,820 +After getting his PhD in +Advanced Space Propulsion + +835 +00:38:07,820 --> 00:38:10,370 +from Princeton, Tamra +Cusick began his career + +836 +00:38:10,370 --> 00:38:12,620 +working for the US +government, spending five + +837 +00:38:12,620 --> 00:38:14,810 +years with both the Air +Force and NASCAR. + +838 +00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,210 +Right now it takes +potentially six or eight + +839 +00:38:17,210 --> 00:38:19,280 +months to go to Mars, but +the technologies we are + +840 +00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,410 +working on at NASA could +get you there in a matter of + +841 +00:38:21,410 --> 00:38:24,080 +weeks. All this cool +technology we're developing + +842 +00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,750 +wasn't ever going to see +space until we figured out + +843 +00:38:26,750 --> 00:38:29,570 +how to get to space in a +more efficient way. + +844 +00:38:29,570 --> 00:38:32,300 +And at that time, even Musk +and some other companies + +845 +00:38:32,300 --> 00:38:34,820 +were coming up with this +new space idea that we can + +846 +00:38:34,820 --> 00:38:37,970 +dramatically lower the cost +and increase the frequency + +847 +00:38:37,970 --> 00:38:39,260 +of access to space. + +848 +00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,710 +He then went to work at +SpaceX as its first director + +849 +00:38:42,710 --> 00:38:45,320 +of test operations in +McGregor, Texas. + +850 +00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:47,450 +And in the process of +building up that facility + +851 +00:38:47,450 --> 00:38:50,360 +and testing rocket engines +day and night and testing + +852 +00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:52,580 +Falcon ones and ultimately +Falcon nine. + +853 +00:38:52,610 --> 00:38:55,070 +I really just became +intimately knowledgeable + +854 +00:38:55,070 --> 00:38:57,080 +about end to end what it +took to build launch + +855 +00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:57,770 +vehicles. + +856 +00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,590 +Mark Cusick went on to work +at Blue Origin and Virgin + +857 +00:39:00,590 --> 00:39:03,170 +Galactic, where he was VP +of Propulsion and helped + +858 +00:39:03,170 --> 00:39:05,420 +lead the development of +rocket engine systems and + +859 +00:39:05,420 --> 00:39:07,550 +new launch vehicles like +Launcher one. + +860 +00:39:08,090 --> 00:39:11,120 +Satellites, which had in the +past been these giant + +861 +00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,820 +monolithic pieces of +hardware were shrinking in + +862 +00:39:13,820 --> 00:39:14,960 +size and increasing and +capabilities. + +863 +00:39:15,620 --> 00:39:18,350 +And I really thought there +was a divergence between + +864 +00:39:18,350 --> 00:39:20,690 +what the up and coming new +space companies were doing + +865 +00:39:20,690 --> 00:39:23,000 +and what the customers +needed for this new class of + +866 +00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,270 +satellites ultimately +decided that if I really + +867 +00:39:26,270 --> 00:39:27,950 +wanted to create a +transformative space, + +868 +00:39:27,950 --> 00:39:30,500 +transportation company +needed to step out on my own + +869 +00:39:30,500 --> 00:39:32,540 +and start my own company. +And that was the genesis of + +870 +00:39:32,540 --> 00:39:33,110 +Firefly. + +871 +00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:37,430 +In January of 2014, Mark +Cusick founded Firefly Space + +872 +00:39:37,430 --> 00:39:40,850 +Systems, alongside PJ King +and Michael Blum. + +873 +00:39:41,090 --> 00:39:42,800 +We started with a notion +that we would build the + +874 +00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,410 +world's simplest launch +vehicle, the most economical + +875 +00:39:45,410 --> 00:39:46,700 +launch vehicle we could. + +876 +00:39:46,820 --> 00:39:49,460 +But funding fell through, +forcing the company to + +877 +00:39:49,460 --> 00:39:51,860 +declare bankruptcy in 2017. + +878 +00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:55,370 +Your burn rates are so fast +in this business, in our + +879 +00:39:55,370 --> 00:39:57,710 +burn rates here now are on +the order of $10 Million a + +880 +00:39:57,710 --> 00:40:00,620 +month. So that was the case +with Firefly Space Systems. + +881 +00:40:00,620 --> 00:40:02,350 +We ran out of money. We had +the shutdown. + +882 +00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:05,420 +However, McKissick managed +to secure new funding later + +883 +00:40:05,420 --> 00:40:07,880 +that year, breathing life +back into his space + +884 +00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:08,840 +ambitions. + +885 +00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,440 +That company and its assets +was effectively resurrected + +886 +00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:16,640 +by a investment firm called +Noosphere Ventures, which is + +887 +00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:20,450 +funded and primarily led by +Ukrainian investor Max + +888 +00:40:20,450 --> 00:40:22,340 +Polyakov. It became Firefly +Aerospace. + +889 +00:40:23,270 --> 00:40:27,710 +Tom Mark Cusick was +reinstated as founder CEO. + +890 +00:40:27,740 --> 00:40:30,740 +Noosphere funded Firefly for +about $200 Million, and that + +891 +00:40:30,740 --> 00:40:32,900 +was our whole seed round +that got us to the point of + +892 +00:40:32,900 --> 00:40:35,720 +having viable technology to +go out and fly. + +893 +00:40:36,110 --> 00:40:40,280 +This year, Firefly raised an +additional $175 million. + +894 +00:40:40,580 --> 00:40:42,920 +Historically, some of the +great entrepreneurs, the + +895 +00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:45,290 +great industrialists. There +was a rough road getting + +896 +00:40:45,290 --> 00:40:47,690 +going and they learned from +it and they kept going with + +897 +00:40:47,690 --> 00:40:48,980 +the key as they never quit. + +898 +00:40:49,010 --> 00:40:51,320 +This new company has a +better business plan, a + +899 +00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:53,840 +better technology plan, a +better funding plan than the + +900 +00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:54,680 +other company. Without a +doubt. + +901 +00:40:59,100 --> 00:41:00,150 +To get to space. + +902 +00:41:00,150 --> 00:41:03,150 +Firefly has spent the past +few years building its Alpha + +903 +00:41:03,150 --> 00:41:04,290 +launch vehicle. + +904 +00:41:04,380 --> 00:41:08,790 +Alpha is Firefly's two stage +expendable vehicle. + +905 +00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:11,790 +It's the world's largest all +carbon fiber composite + +906 +00:41:11,790 --> 00:41:15,900 +rocket, and it has patented +world's simplest rocket + +907 +00:41:15,900 --> 00:41:16,530 +engines. + +908 +00:41:16,740 --> 00:41:19,440 +It can carry up to 1000 +kilograms to low-Earth orbit + +909 +00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,020 +and is priced at about $15 +per launch. + +910 +00:41:22,050 --> 00:41:24,270 +Eventually, with our +progressive upgrades, it + +911 +00:41:24,270 --> 00:41:27,180 +will be able to do about +1500 kilograms. + +912 +00:41:28,230 --> 00:41:30,390 +We build everything +ourselves so that we can + +913 +00:41:30,390 --> 00:41:33,570 +control cost and schedule +about a year of design, + +914 +00:41:33,570 --> 00:41:36,490 +about two years of +developmental testing, and + +915 +00:41:36,510 --> 00:41:39,060 +about one year of +qualifying hardware to get + +916 +00:41:39,060 --> 00:41:42,300 +to flight. So all in all, +about four years for us to + +917 +00:41:42,300 --> 00:41:43,380 +get to the launch pad. + +918 +00:41:43,410 --> 00:41:44,790 +When it comes to rockets. + +919 +00:41:44,820 --> 00:41:48,390 +A launch company is +typically expected to invest + +920 +00:41:48,390 --> 00:41:52,550 +about $100 before +successfully reaching orbit. + +921 +00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:54,990 +We have to build systems +that have super high + +922 +00:41:54,990 --> 00:41:56,160 +propulsion, super light +structures. + +923 +00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:59,100 +Everything has to be very, +very efficient. + +924 +00:41:59,100 --> 00:42:02,010 +And it's hard to test it on +the Earth because earth is + +925 +00:42:02,010 --> 00:42:02,970 +not like space. + +926 +00:42:03,030 --> 00:42:04,500 +While you're trying to build +the hardware, you're also + +927 +00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:06,990 +trying to build a team. And +roughly in the last four + +928 +00:42:06,990 --> 00:42:09,240 +years, we've been doubling +the size of the team every + +929 +00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:11,760 +year to the point that +we're up to about 500 people + +930 +00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:12,240 +now. + +931 +00:42:12,630 --> 00:42:15,540 +Several at Firefly have come +from other SpaceX companies + +932 +00:42:15,540 --> 00:42:18,030 +such as SpaceX, Blue, +Origin and NASCAR. + +933 +00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:20,910 +You have to have really +smart engineers. + +934 +00:42:20,910 --> 00:42:23,160 +Structures, engineers and +mechanical engineers. + +935 +00:42:23,170 --> 00:42:24,450 +It's materials engineers. + +936 +00:42:24,450 --> 00:42:26,820 +It's electrical engineers +that do the avionics. + +937 +00:42:26,820 --> 00:42:29,730 +It's software engineers and +developers, it's reliability + +938 +00:42:29,730 --> 00:42:31,200 +analysts, it's trajectory +engineers. + +939 +00:42:31,770 --> 00:42:34,470 +It's just so many different +disciplines that all come. + +940 +00:42:34,470 --> 00:42:37,020 +Together after you spend all +that money and all that time + +941 +00:42:37,020 --> 00:42:38,190 +and you have all those +people working for a + +942 +00:42:38,190 --> 00:42:40,530 +company, you don't really +know if the thing's going to + +943 +00:42:40,530 --> 00:42:43,020 +work until you go out and +test it. + +944 +00:43:13,300 --> 00:43:14,550 +This is the Reaver engine. + +945 +00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:15,730 +This is our first stage +engine. + +946 +00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:18,760 +This engine is essentially +what will be installed on + +947 +00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,300 +the vehicle. Every engine +that we will fly goes + +948 +00:43:22,300 --> 00:43:22,390 +through. + +949 +00:43:22,420 --> 00:43:23,560 +What's called an acceptance. + +950 +00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:24,670 +Testing protocol. + +951 +00:43:24,850 --> 00:43:27,850 +And what HPE is seeking to +do is tune the engine. + +952 +00:43:27,850 --> 00:43:29,920 +So make sure we have the +right amount of. + +953 +00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:30,610 +Propellants in. + +954 +00:43:30,610 --> 00:43:31,930 +The right combination, as +well. + +955 +00:43:32,140 --> 00:43:33,220 +As ensure the workmanship. + +956 +00:43:33,220 --> 00:43:34,270 +And quality of that engine +itself. + +957 +00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:43,420 +We are standing on TSU, +which is the stand that we + +958 +00:43:43,420 --> 00:43:45,580 +use for testing the various +rocket stages. + +959 +00:43:45,580 --> 00:43:49,030 +So stage one and stage two +both get tested right here. + +960 +00:43:49,300 --> 00:43:51,490 +That actually is where the +fire goes through when we + +961 +00:43:51,490 --> 00:43:57,960 +ignite the engine. So +everything we do + +962 +00:43:57,960 --> 00:43:58,350 +here. + +963 +00:43:58,350 --> 00:43:59,780 +Is meant to simulate the +launch. + +964 +00:44:00,090 --> 00:44:02,190 +Conditions so that when we +get there, it's game day. + +965 +00:44:13,370 --> 00:44:16,160 +Once things are rigorously +tested in Texas and we + +966 +00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:18,620 +transport them to the +launch sites, do the final + +967 +00:44:18,620 --> 00:44:20,990 +integration of the vehicle, +put them out on the launch + +968 +00:44:20,990 --> 00:44:24,500 +pad, and we just do one +final hot fire test where we + +969 +00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:25,580 +put the rocket up. + +970 +00:44:25,580 --> 00:44:27,560 +We pretend we're going to +launch it, we write it, + +971 +00:44:27,590 --> 00:44:30,500 +we've let it run and just +verify that everything's in + +972 +00:44:30,500 --> 00:44:32,780 +perfect order before we +actually just do the final + +973 +00:44:32,780 --> 00:44:36,020 +thing, which is let it fly +to 60% on to. + +974 +00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:37,100 +Make it all the way. + +975 +00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:52,530 +We've been working on this +for years and years. + +976 +00:44:52,770 --> 00:44:56,090 +A lot of money has gone +into this and tomorrow's the + +977 +00:44:56,100 --> 00:44:56,640 +payoff. + +978 +00:44:56,700 --> 00:44:59,910 +It's just such an incredible +feeling to finally be at + +979 +00:44:59,910 --> 00:45:00,660 +this day. + +980 +00:45:01,740 --> 00:45:03,510 +Of the four hydraulic +operations. + +981 +00:45:20,530 --> 00:45:22,090 +I don't know what. + +982 +00:45:37,250 --> 00:45:38,870 +And before three. + +983 +00:46:06,150 --> 00:46:07,760 +Ow! Ow! Ow! + +984 +00:46:08,010 --> 00:46:14,160 +Ow! We take a look at + +985 +00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:15,010 +1499. + +986 +00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:21,090 +During the first flight, we +had a failure where one of + +987 +00:46:21,090 --> 00:46:23,550 +the engines simply just +turned off in flight. + +988 +00:46:23,550 --> 00:46:25,710 +And it turned out it was +just a simple electrical + +989 +00:46:25,710 --> 00:46:27,540 +connector that that rattled +loose. + +990 +00:46:29,940 --> 00:46:33,300 +To go to all that effort +and to have it fail. + +991 +00:46:33,390 --> 00:46:35,190 +It feels like a lot of +other things that happen in + +992 +00:46:35,190 --> 00:46:37,530 +this company to go all that +effort and then to run out + +993 +00:46:37,530 --> 00:46:39,990 +of money, you have to shut +down, play everybody off, + +994 +00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:42,690 +boot back up. It's one of +those things that's that's + +995 +00:46:42,690 --> 00:46:43,800 +deeply troubling. + +996 +00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:45,450 +But in the back of your +mind, you have the + +997 +00:46:45,450 --> 00:46:48,630 +conviction that ultimately +you'll be successful. + +998 +00:46:48,660 --> 00:46:52,560 +A lot of companies over the +year have attempted the same + +999 +00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:56,070 +thing and failed to do so +on their first tries, but + +1000 +00:46:56,070 --> 00:46:58,320 +have been ultimately +successful. This is a + +1001 +00:46:58,320 --> 00:46:59,340 +business that is quite +unforgiving. + +1002 +00:47:00,630 --> 00:47:02,700 +And even though we had an +engine out, we got a lot of + +1003 +00:47:02,700 --> 00:47:05,520 +flight time. So we got a +lot of aerodynamics data, we + +1004 +00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:08,760 +got a lot of control data, +we got a lot of data about + +1005 +00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:11,850 +how the rocket moves even +up through supersonic speed. + +1006 +00:47:11,850 --> 00:47:13,590 +So that data is gold. + +1007 +00:47:16,020 --> 00:47:18,930 +The company isn't skipping a +beat, aiming to conduct its + +1008 +00:47:18,930 --> 00:47:21,000 +next flight in early 2022. + +1009 +00:47:21,910 --> 00:47:25,000 +The plan is to have the +vehicle behind us fully + +1010 +00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:28,180 +ready to go by the end of +the year and launch as soon + +1011 +00:47:28,180 --> 00:47:30,640 +as we can in the beginning +of the new year. + +1012 +00:47:31,540 --> 00:47:32,800 +Now it's about refinement. + +1013 +00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,680 +And every flight you make +it easier and easier and + +1014 +00:47:35,680 --> 00:47:36,280 +easier. + +1015 +00:47:36,370 --> 00:47:37,300 +We have people. + +1016 +00:47:37,300 --> 00:47:39,910 +Looking as far out as like +Flight six and Flight seven. + +1017 +00:47:40,570 --> 00:47:42,880 +Firefly's Alpha Rocket will +compete in the small to + +1018 +00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:45,560 +medium launch market for +$15 Million. + +1019 +00:47:45,640 --> 00:47:48,130 +It will take payloads such +as small satellites to low + +1020 +00:47:48,130 --> 00:47:50,860 +earth orbit in comparison +to competitors. + +1021 +00:47:50,860 --> 00:47:53,600 +Rocket Lab's smaller +electron costs $7 Million + +1022 +00:47:53,620 --> 00:47:58,250 +per launch astra's as cheap +as $2.5 million and Abloh's + +1023 +00:47:58,300 --> 00:48:00,430 +RS one cost $12 million per +launch. + +1024 +00:48:01,240 --> 00:48:05,380 +To provide context, SpaceX +Falcon nine costs about $62 + +1025 +00:48:05,380 --> 00:48:06,550 +Million per launch. + +1026 +00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,100 +The company is also +developing a higher capacity + +1027 +00:48:09,100 --> 00:48:11,860 +rocket, which it says will +be capable of carrying up to + +1028 +00:48:11,860 --> 00:48:13,390 +8000 kilograms. + +1029 +00:48:13,780 --> 00:48:15,610 +We've got some great +strategic partnerships + +1030 +00:48:15,610 --> 00:48:18,010 +potentially set up with +that that will allow us to + +1031 +00:48:18,010 --> 00:48:21,190 +start flying hardware in as +little as a couple of years. + +1032 +00:48:21,340 --> 00:48:24,160 +Down the road. Firefly has +additional plans for a wing + +1033 +00:48:24,190 --> 00:48:25,540 +to reusable rocket. + +1034 +00:48:25,780 --> 00:48:29,050 +These are long term +development projects that + +1035 +00:48:29,050 --> 00:48:32,410 +they really won't be able +to spend much time on and + +1036 +00:48:32,410 --> 00:48:35,380 +really won't be able to see +the light of day until their + +1037 +00:48:35,380 --> 00:48:38,620 +core central businesses are +up and running first. + +1038 +00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:41,650 +The company is positioning +itself as an end to end + +1039 +00:48:41,650 --> 00:48:42,820 +space transportation +company. + +1040 +00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:45,460 +We are not a rocket company. + +1041 +00:48:45,490 --> 00:48:47,680 +A rocket is an important +part of it, but it's really + +1042 +00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:49,780 +one third of our whole +space transportation + +1043 +00:48:49,780 --> 00:48:50,680 +architecture. + +1044 +00:48:57,010 --> 00:48:59,950 +Blue Ghost is our lunar +lander solution that + +1045 +00:48:59,950 --> 00:49:02,080 +fulfills the National +Commercial Lunar Payload + +1046 +00:49:02,080 --> 00:49:03,190 +Services mission. + +1047 +00:49:03,190 --> 00:49:04,540 +We want our first proposal. + +1048 +00:49:04,570 --> 00:49:06,400 +It's originally at $93 +Million. + +1049 +00:49:07,150 --> 00:49:10,270 +It's taking ten payloads +just under 100 kilograms + +1050 +00:49:10,270 --> 00:49:11,830 +worth of NASA's +experiments. + +1051 +00:49:12,940 --> 00:49:15,940 +Nasa's Artemis program aims +to return humans to the + +1052 +00:49:15,940 --> 00:49:18,880 +moon. Leading up to those +missions, projects like Blue + +1053 +00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:21,100 +Ghost will deliver +scientific research to the + +1054 +00:49:21,100 --> 00:49:21,940 +surface. + +1055 +00:49:22,180 --> 00:49:25,180 +Blue Origin, SpaceX and some +others are working on the + +1056 +00:49:25,180 --> 00:49:26,470 +human lander solution. + +1057 +00:49:26,470 --> 00:49:28,480 +Part of the problem. And +there are these precursor + +1058 +00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:31,570 +missions, smaller science +missions, to understand that + +1059 +00:49:31,570 --> 00:49:32,510 +environment better. + +1060 +00:49:32,530 --> 00:49:35,140 +This program, though, is +really representative of + +1061 +00:49:35,140 --> 00:49:38,770 +NASA's push to becoming +more of a customer rather + +1062 +00:49:38,770 --> 00:49:40,690 +than being a manufacturer +itself. + +1063 +00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:43,750 +Firefly's not the only one +that's won a contract. + +1064 +00:49:43,780 --> 00:49:47,250 +They've been awarding them +steadily and about the 70 to + +1065 +00:49:47,250 --> 00:49:48,670 +$100 Million range. + +1066 +00:49:49,720 --> 00:49:51,730 +We have a couple payloads +that are studying the lunar + +1067 +00:49:51,730 --> 00:49:53,080 +regolith, the lunar soil. + +1068 +00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:54,730 +We have a couple of +payloads that are performing + +1069 +00:49:54,730 --> 00:49:56,170 +science experiments on the +way to the moon. + +1070 +00:49:56,170 --> 00:49:58,480 +And then once on the lunar +surface, some that are + +1071 +00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:01,240 +studying the magnetic field +of the moon, some that are + +1072 +00:50:01,240 --> 00:50:02,680 +studying the magnetic field +of the earth. + +1073 +00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:04,300 +We've got a couple of +batteries in there on this + +1074 +00:50:04,300 --> 00:50:07,060 +side. We have one of our +payloads here, different + +1075 +00:50:07,060 --> 00:50:10,210 +electronics control boxes +that distribute + +1076 +00:50:10,210 --> 00:50:11,500 +communications and power. + +1077 +00:50:11,980 --> 00:50:13,690 +We have this +retroreflector. I think a + +1078 +00:50:13,690 --> 00:50:15,430 +lot of the retro reflectors +that are on the moon right + +1079 +00:50:15,430 --> 00:50:17,620 +now are so from the Apollo +era to start getting + +1080 +00:50:17,620 --> 00:50:19,570 +accurate distances to the +lunar surface. + +1081 +00:50:19,570 --> 00:50:21,340 +This is one of the payloads +that I think is the coolest. + +1082 +00:50:21,340 --> 00:50:22,390 +It's called LMS. + +1083 +00:50:22,450 --> 00:50:23,710 +They have these little +probes that are going to + +1084 +00:50:23,710 --> 00:50:25,900 +shoot out and land on the +lunar surface, and they have + +1085 +00:50:25,900 --> 00:50:28,270 +a big mast that's going to +go up and measure the + +1086 +00:50:28,270 --> 00:50:29,900 +magnetic field of the lunar +surface. I think that just. + +1087 +00:50:29,900 --> 00:50:31,960 +Sounds so cool. Every +kilogram is worth about + +1088 +00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:34,630 +$1,000,000, so weight +savings is crucial. + +1089 +00:50:34,630 --> 00:50:37,240 +So we've done this stuff +called generative design, + +1090 +00:50:37,240 --> 00:50:40,780 +where we use a computer +algorithm to optimize the + +1091 +00:50:40,780 --> 00:50:43,720 +structure to survive the +loads it needs to survive + +1092 +00:50:43,720 --> 00:50:44,680 +and nothing else. + +1093 +00:50:44,860 --> 00:50:47,980 +The company is planning to +launch in 2023 using SpaceX + +1094 +00:50:48,190 --> 00:50:49,390 +Falcon nine rocket. + +1095 +00:50:49,630 --> 00:50:50,740 +Starting next year. + +1096 +00:50:50,740 --> 00:50:53,740 +It's all about building the +flight hardware and then we + +1097 +00:50:53,740 --> 00:50:57,670 +basically have a good six +months to test it before we + +1098 +00:50:57,710 --> 00:50:58,540 +eventually fly it. + +1099 +00:50:58,780 --> 00:51:01,120 +To test how glucose will +perform on the mission, + +1100 +00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:04,330 +they've recreated the lunar +surface for simulations. + +1101 +00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:05,080 +Our chief engineer. + +1102 +00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:06,790 +Always says we're going to +make sure we test like we + +1103 +00:51:06,790 --> 00:51:08,590 +fly that lunar lander sim. + +1104 +00:51:08,590 --> 00:51:10,360 +We use it for our vision +navigation system. + +1105 +00:51:10,360 --> 00:51:12,460 +You just want to eliminate +as many unknowns as + +1106 +00:51:12,460 --> 00:51:15,820 +possible. Well, at SpaceX +X, McKissic witnessed the + +1107 +00:51:15,820 --> 00:51:18,190 +development of the Dragon +capsule program for high + +1108 +00:51:18,190 --> 00:51:21,250 +revenue resupply missions +to the space station and + +1109 +00:51:21,250 --> 00:51:23,620 +sought similar +opportunities for Firefly. + +1110 +00:51:23,950 --> 00:51:26,710 +The rocket gives you the +keys to space. + +1111 +00:51:26,710 --> 00:51:30,220 +It's critically important, +but the big revenue is doing + +1112 +00:51:30,220 --> 00:51:31,660 +things in space. + +1113 +00:51:31,660 --> 00:51:34,630 +Blue Ghost, fully loaded +with payload, can generate + +1114 +00:51:34,630 --> 00:51:37,720 +about $150 million of +revenue for the company + +1115 +00:51:38,170 --> 00:51:41,590 +alpha. On the other hand, +the launcher is about $15 + +1116 +00:51:41,590 --> 00:51:43,930 +Million retail per flight. + +1117 +00:51:44,050 --> 00:51:47,080 +Firefly says it's also +competing for rover projects + +1118 +00:51:47,080 --> 00:51:49,270 +and the company is +developing a space utility + +1119 +00:51:49,270 --> 00:51:50,020 +vehicle. + +1120 +00:51:50,050 --> 00:51:52,990 +We're developing a vehicle +called SUV Space Utility + +1121 +00:51:52,990 --> 00:51:56,290 +Vehicle, and it's kind of +the do everything utility + +1122 +00:51:56,290 --> 00:51:59,410 +vehicle, the Swiss Army +knife of spacecraft, having. + +1123 +00:51:59,410 --> 00:52:02,620 +The spacecraft that can just +hang out in orbit and + +1124 +00:52:02,620 --> 00:52:05,740 +transport things that can +service things that can. + +1125 +00:52:05,740 --> 00:52:06,310 +Relay. + +1126 +00:52:06,310 --> 00:52:08,650 +Things is going to be really +big for us. + +1127 +00:52:10,540 --> 00:52:11,980 +Launches are picking up. + +1128 +00:52:11,980 --> 00:52:16,360 +In 2020, there were a total +of 114 orbital launches, 41 + +1129 +00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:17,560 +of which were commercial. + +1130 +00:52:17,890 --> 00:52:21,370 +Today we are in something of +an entrepreneurial space age + +1131 +00:52:21,370 --> 00:52:23,110 +and we're moving into an +era that's going to be + +1132 +00:52:23,110 --> 00:52:25,270 +basically the space age. + +1133 +00:52:25,270 --> 00:52:28,150 +When Starship comes online, +we're talking about going + +1134 +00:52:28,150 --> 00:52:30,730 +from 100,000 per kilogram +in the shuttle. + +1135 +00:52:31,340 --> 00:52:33,890 +To 1000 ish dollars a +kilogram with the Falcon + +1136 +00:52:33,890 --> 00:52:37,760 +heavy to $10 a kilogram +with Starship. + +1137 +00:52:37,940 --> 00:52:40,340 +The broader global space +economy is already worth + +1138 +00:52:40,340 --> 00:52:44,480 +more than $423 billion, and +Bank of America forecasts + +1139 +00:52:44,480 --> 00:52:47,120 +that the space industry as +a whole is expected to reach + +1140 +00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:49,970 +$1.4 trillion by 2030. + +1141 +00:52:50,210 --> 00:52:54,050 +Spacex is the next frontier +for the information + +1142 +00:52:54,050 --> 00:52:56,570 +revolution. So everything +that's been going on in the + +1143 +00:52:56,570 --> 00:52:59,540 +last few decades with the +growth of the Internet is + +1144 +00:52:59,540 --> 00:53:02,380 +now going to be served from +space y. + +1145 +00:53:02,390 --> 00:53:05,090 +You can distribute +information more efficiently + +1146 +00:53:05,090 --> 00:53:07,550 +around the earth from the +vantage point of SpaceX and + +1147 +00:53:07,580 --> 00:53:09,940 +having Internet from the +sky, internet everywhere. + +1148 +00:53:09,950 --> 00:53:12,290 +Most of the money in terms +of the billions and billions + +1149 +00:53:12,290 --> 00:53:14,450 +of dollars that's been +spent in the past decade, + +1150 +00:53:14,450 --> 00:53:18,080 +has mostly centered in +either building rockets or + +1151 +00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:19,380 +building satellites. + +1152 +00:53:19,400 --> 00:53:21,680 +There's also been steady +growth in a couple of other + +1153 +00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:24,830 +subsectors underneath +there, such as suborbital + +1154 +00:53:24,830 --> 00:53:28,910 +space tourism and in space +manufacturing and other data + +1155 +00:53:28,910 --> 00:53:32,180 +services. We're starting to +see companies start to go + +1156 +00:53:32,180 --> 00:53:34,910 +public. The companies start +to get acquired. + +1157 +00:53:34,910 --> 00:53:37,020 +Investor interest in SPACs +is high. + +1158 +00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:39,290 +Both Virgin Orbit and +Rocket Lab have taken + +1159 +00:53:39,290 --> 00:53:41,570 +advantage of this to raise +additional capital. + +1160 +00:53:41,630 --> 00:53:42,680 +I don't want to use. + +1161 +00:53:42,770 --> 00:53:45,200 +Going public is just +another way to fund + +1162 +00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:47,810 +development. But I think +it's a possibility. + +1163 +00:53:47,810 --> 00:53:50,270 +This time next year we +could be talking about a + +1164 +00:53:50,270 --> 00:53:51,890 +public offering of Firefly. + +1165 +00:53:52,460 --> 00:53:55,330 +The company is up against a +lot of competition. + +1166 +00:53:55,340 --> 00:53:57,980 +Several startups are +aggressively fundraising and + +1167 +00:53:57,980 --> 00:54:00,000 +working to get rockets off +the ground. + +1168 +00:54:00,020 --> 00:54:03,440 +We are tracking a little +less than 100 companies that + +1169 +00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:04,610 +have been started by SpaceX +alumni. + +1170 +00:54:05,450 --> 00:54:07,700 +There are a lot of companies +that talk about doing this, + +1171 +00:54:07,700 --> 00:54:09,950 +but there are very few +elite crowd that can + +1172 +00:54:09,950 --> 00:54:12,110 +actually do it. And within +the next few months, when we + +1173 +00:54:12,110 --> 00:54:14,390 +go out and fly that second +rocket, we're going to enter + +1174 +00:54:14,390 --> 00:54:17,270 +that elite stratosphere of +the companies that can + +1175 +00:54:17,270 --> 00:54:18,980 +actually do this in a +repeatable way. + +1176 +00:54:19,190 --> 00:54:22,130 +But once Firefly and other +succeed in reaching space, + +1177 +00:54:22,130 --> 00:54:24,670 +they will be confronted +with another challenge + +1178 +00:54:24,680 --> 00:54:27,230 +building and refining +operations for regular + +1179 +00:54:27,230 --> 00:54:28,100 +spaceflight. + +1180 +00:54:28,130 --> 00:54:30,560 +We want to launch 24 rockets +in 2024. + +1181 +00:54:30,590 --> 00:54:32,300 +One of the things that's +going to help us hit that + +1182 +00:54:32,300 --> 00:54:34,730 +cadence is to fly our next +flight as soon as possible + +1183 +00:54:34,730 --> 00:54:37,190 +and the one after that as +soon as possible, and start + +1184 +00:54:37,190 --> 00:54:39,770 +conquering that learning +curve as quickly as you can + +1185 +00:54:39,770 --> 00:54:42,920 +so that you can step into +repeatable builds. + +1186 +00:54:42,920 --> 00:54:46,850 +For them to be a viable +business, they're going to + +1187 +00:54:46,850 --> 00:54:47,870 +need to get into other +things. + +1188 +00:54:48,530 --> 00:54:51,170 +The company is reportedly in +talks to provide engine + +1189 +00:54:51,170 --> 00:54:53,870 +technology to competing +launch company Astra. + +1190 +00:54:53,900 --> 00:54:56,870 +The contract specified as +many as 50 of the Reaver + +1191 +00:54:56,870 --> 00:55:01,070 +engines for Astra to use on +their own rockets and for + +1192 +00:55:01,070 --> 00:55:02,130 +future development. + +1193 +00:55:02,150 --> 00:55:05,630 +We're very open and willing +to help other companies that + +1194 +00:55:05,630 --> 00:55:09,710 +are coming up by sharing +what we've built, but also + +1195 +00:55:09,710 --> 00:55:11,000 +making a lot of money along +the way. + +1196 +00:55:11,000 --> 00:55:12,080 +In the act of sharing. + +1197 +00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:14,810 +With all of the activity in +aerospace, the company says + +1198 +00:55:14,810 --> 00:55:17,450 +selling components could be +a big business. + +1199 +00:55:17,570 --> 00:55:20,990 +Our vision here is to create +an e-commerce marketplace + +1200 +00:55:20,990 --> 00:55:22,850 +where you can buy all kinds +of components rocket + +1201 +00:55:22,850 --> 00:55:25,170 +engines, valves, all the +building blocks. + +1202 +00:55:25,190 --> 00:55:28,940 +Customers can buy things as +anonymously as you and I can + +1203 +00:55:28,940 --> 00:55:30,200 +buy things on Amazon. + +1204 +00:55:30,470 --> 00:55:32,630 +The ideal scenario in 20 +years from now, whether it's + +1205 +00:55:32,630 --> 00:55:34,700 +our rocket or somebody +else's rocket, there's + +1206 +00:55:34,700 --> 00:55:37,130 +probably going to be +Firefly components on that + +1207 +00:55:37,130 --> 00:55:37,670 +mission. + +1208 +00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:40,970 +With the inherent risks in +the industry, the road ahead + +1209 +00:55:40,970 --> 00:55:42,230 +will be a tough one. + +1210 +00:55:42,340 --> 00:55:44,720 +I don't know a single rocket +company that is in existence + +1211 +00:55:44,720 --> 00:55:47,420 +right now that has not had +very low lows and very high + +1212 +00:55:47,420 --> 00:55:49,040 +highs even into its mature +phases. + +1213 +00:55:49,730 --> 00:55:51,950 +There's no doubt +consolidation is coming. + +1214 +00:55:52,430 --> 00:55:56,270 +So I don't think there are +a room for 100 launcher + +1215 +00:55:56,270 --> 00:55:58,460 +companies, maybe not even +maybe ten launcher + +1216 +00:55:58,460 --> 00:56:00,950 +companies. But we see the +consolidation coming and we + +1217 +00:56:00,950 --> 00:56:04,970 +want to sort of team up and +form new enterprises with + +1218 +00:56:04,970 --> 00:56:06,860 +players that we think are +the most viable for the + +1219 +00:56:06,860 --> 00:56:07,490 +future. + +1220 +00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:10,130 +We've already seen that +companies that maybe falter + +1221 +00:56:10,130 --> 00:56:13,280 +or go by the wayside often +get acquired. + +1222 +00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:15,830 +And so that is not +necessarily a bad thing. + +1223 +00:56:15,830 --> 00:56:18,200 +Everyone doesn't need to +succeed because it actually + +1224 +00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:21,080 +can seed growth throughout +the rest of the industry. + +1225 +00:56:22,190 --> 00:56:24,230 +But that isn't deterring +those who have a vision + +1226 +00:56:24,230 --> 00:56:27,500 +where a future in the stars +isn't that far off. + +1227 +00:56:27,530 --> 00:56:28,990 +It's one small step. + +1228 +00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:30,830 +I don't want this to be +another bubble. + +1229 +00:56:30,830 --> 00:56:32,780 +Like when we went to the +moon originally back in the + +1230 +00:56:32,780 --> 00:56:34,790 +late sixties or early +seventies where we forgot + +1231 +00:56:34,790 --> 00:56:35,860 +all that technology. + +1232 +00:56:35,870 --> 00:56:39,260 +I want to lay the roads now +so that generations after + +1233 +00:56:39,260 --> 00:56:41,930 +generations can use those +same roads to get to the + +1234 +00:56:41,930 --> 00:56:44,060 +moon, get to Mars, go +beyond that. + +1235 +00:56:44,960 --> 00:56:47,960 +I can honestly say this has +been a really difficult + +1236 +00:56:47,960 --> 00:56:52,070 +thing to do, but there's +never been a day where just + +1237 +00:56:52,070 --> 00:56:55,010 +the spark hasn't lit inside +me and still just made me + +1238 +00:56:55,010 --> 00:56:57,680 +feel very blessed and +fortunate to be doing this. + +1239 +00:56:59,830 --> 00:57:02,290 +We're creating great 21st +century jobs. + +1240 +00:57:02,290 --> 00:57:05,020 +But I also just see people +in airports and such that + +1241 +00:57:05,020 --> 00:57:07,180 +will just come up to me +because they see the Firefly + +1242 +00:57:07,210 --> 00:57:09,190 +logo and they're like, Hey, +I was with you the whole + +1243 +00:57:09,190 --> 00:57:11,290 +time. I was watching that +launch and everything was so + +1244 +00:57:11,290 --> 00:57:13,120 +exciting. All my friends +were watching and everything + +1245 +00:57:13,120 --> 00:57:16,210 +and it just clicks in my +mind that what we're doing + +1246 +00:57:16,210 --> 00:57:19,170 +is not only inspiring to +me, what's more important is + +1247 +00:57:19,220 --> 00:57:21,730 +it's inspiring to thousands +of people. + +1248 +00:57:22,870 --> 00:57:24,670 +I can't get enough of this, +and I hope I get to keep + +1249 +00:57:24,670 --> 00:57:25,480 +doing it for a long, long +time. +