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Been with you since the beginning and still I believe you're the best at producing content. My belief is that SpaceX should use you as their media team.
in principle yes - however i guess SpaceX will simply use it to spam 40,000 satelites into LEO SpaceX made huge investsments for Spaceship, they need some financial benefit or simply bleed too much money
It feels like just yesterday I was watching the first Falcon Heavy test flight, and seeing the two side boosters landing simultaneously was the craziest thing I had ever seen. I was 14 at the time and I can say for certain that SpaceX, and that test flight in particular, is the reason I chose to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Im now in my second year of college, and I'm sure there's a kid out there who's seeing the Super Heavy Booster being caught for the first time, and it's sparking a love for space flight in them just as it did for me. I remember spending hours on RUclips learning everything I could about rockets, aerodynamics, orbital mechanics, etc. and without channels like this I might've been on a very different career path today. So, thank you Felix and the WAI team for helping to bring the world of space flight to new audiences!
That’s a great story. I wish you the best of luck going forward and hope you land a sweet job at SpaceX or some other contractor that is part of the Mars mission. I’m excited for your future, good for you!
This "catch" raises more questions than it solves. Rapid reusability does not seem to be coming soon. They were talking one flight every 2-3 hours? I do not see how?
@@arwo1143 Then they should be able to relaunch it without doing anything to it. Don't think it's quite ready for that.. So enough worked that they felt very comfortable to do the catch..
Let me tell you, working there and being a part of what happened that morning, was by far one of the greatest moments of my life. I’ve never been more proud to be part of a team!! GO SPACE X GO STARSHIP GO RAPTOR TEAM
@@Whataboutit It's probably not a bad thing that for half the country and the world that Space-X launches have become somewhat routine and redundant. Our lead in the space race is narrowing quickly. It is inevitable that the USA MUST seize the day while it remains in their hands.
Our world is fundamentally different now because of this. We have entered the era of space industry and colonization. The age of heavy lift at a low cost per kilogram makes things possible we only once dreamed of. The future is bright, my friends.
Felix, I took your recommendations. I flew in from Seattle and rented a 10' U-haul truck to camp in. I spent the night at Raptor Roost and watched the launch from there. Then I went to Redline Helicopters for a sunset tour of starbase. What an awesome adventure.
Let's think about this for a minute. It took almost ten years and dozens of launches by the USA and Russia and others to assemble the International Space Station. A fully reusable Starship could easily lift all that mass in a day. 2 or 3 launches. The expansion of our capability to exploit near Earth space is about to leap forward. Less than 50 years after the first powered aircraft took to the sky we had jet plans and rockets. Another 10 years, and we had men on the moon. Then we slowed down, and for over 70 years we've been content to make incremental progress. Now, we're facing the possibility of being able to send 100-150 TONS into orbit day after day after day. It would take me hours to list everything we might accomplish with such an ability. I've been giddy since Sunday morning. Dreaming again of the promise of space, the Final Frontier.
Govt/NASA makes space look unaffordable, unsustainable, near impossible.. SpaceX makes it look affordable, sustainable, doable.. it’s Govt waste, pork, incompetence vs private enterprise innovation, efficiency, spirit.. Private enterprise developed US aviation... 50 years after the Wright Bros tens of thousands of Americans flew worldwide affordably. But big govt NASA grabbed a monopoly on US space... 60 years after John Glenn only a couple hundred Govt selected 'astronauts' have flown in space at over $1 billion taxpayer dollars each, & NASA’s SLS is $4+ billion per launch. & Government’s response is to obstruct SpaceX under FAA/NASA’s thumb.
Actually, these 100-150 tons per day is for just a single Starship. And SpaceX has plans to add at least one Starship per week to their fleet. (I wonder where they're planning to keep them all...)
@@realulli 100-150 per launch. Probably won't be able to relaunch most variants more than once per day (have to reload them after all) but I expect we'll see the tanker variants flying multiple times per day.
There must have been a huge over pressure when the engines ignited to slow the descent, blowing off the chine covers and pushing open a QD valve. It kind of was like the moon landing, Felix. Except that lasted weeks and this miracle was briefly enjoyed. Those last 10 seconds are incredible - he backed that booster into the tower like a cabbie parallel parks his cab on 5th ave. Love your reaction cameos, btw.
I don’t know if it was from the engines or the sonic boom, but there’s a video of the booster landing from a nearby beach and you can see the insane pressure creating condensed moisture rings in the air all around the booster, like the wave front of a massive explosion.
LOL the cabbie image... all that was missing was a driver with one arm out of the window, looking back to dose the power with the other hand during the parking maneuver... and maybe while hearing a deafening "BEEP BEEP" from the reverse buzzer. Did I already say LOL? Truly, congratulations to the entire team of engineers and technicians for the impressive result.
I can not believe this. I was expecting a booster catch no earlier than FT-7. A unmanned starship launch to mars in two years actually seems much more realistic. As for starship, it is working. I am positive that they can get these tiles operating nominally within a year. Let’s go SpaceX! Let’s go WAI team!
Just Awesome. This is the most exciting launch (event) I have seen since Appolo 11 and I was on the Mission Control Team on Voyager, Magellan, and Galileo. But they were close seconds, especially when Magellon was Shuttle launched and I was on the whole mission. The day before this launch I had serious doubts about the landing as it seemed to me F9 landings were mostly off center by a few feet. The change in attitude was due to a SpaceX official reporting the landing accuracy of flight 4 as about 1 centimeter (paraphrased).
Everyone keeps reporting that sparks are seen and things are coming apart, but we forget that there are many areas that have tiles removed, modified tiles and in the case of the forward flaps. it's still the old design. I can't wait to see what 33 does!
Absolutely. They already moved the forward flaps and have test data for the missing tiles. I assume IFT-6 will include a complete tile set. Unless they have a way to further improve the shielding, then they may need some test tiles.
I think the next launch objective will be similar to flight 5 but with additional tests for engine relight and payload bay door tests. flight 7 may be the first fully orbital test.
I’ve learned that sadly, most people don’t understand the value of destructive testing. NASA faced a bit of backlash just for doing an overpressure test on the SLS fuel tank, NASA is reluctant to perform large scale destructive tests because taxpayers will yell at them for “wasting money.”
What an historic moment in spaceflight! Watching the catch live was a surreal adrenaline rush of disbelief and hope. I happen to be one of the 500K subscribers, and I now turrn to WAI more than any other spaceflight channel due to the pace and depth of the coverage they provide. I love how you guys walk through everything that goes on during the prep for these flights, not only filling us in on what is happening, but also providing your research and intelligent speculations of WHY things are happening. This insightful curiousity is infectious, and keeps me learning. Thank you guys, and CONGRATS ON 500,000, YOU ROCK!
I wasn’t shedding tears, just jumping up and down, screaming, and fist pumping like a madman at work. Thank I was in the back where customers couldn’t see or hear me 🤣
Space Force is spending most of our tax money but we don't get to know how. Just shut up and keep forking over 30% of your hard earned pay. Then after that pay another 40% of what's left to the government through sales tax, property tax, fuel taxes, car registrations, fees, fines and much more! Quiet, just be happy you get to keep 10 cents of every dollar you earn.
That the FAA allowed it tells you 100% the delay was intentional. If there was serious safety or environmental concerns they'd have not issued the license, regardless of the pressure put on them. I hate spiteful bureaucracts with a vengence.
The EPA was the ones holding it up the most. The FAA finally pressured the EPA to expedite their findings. The FAA was waiting just like the rest of us.
You don’t have to look any further than how California is OPENLY stating they are blocking SpaceX flights next year because of Elon’s politics. Get your head out of the sand and stop electing these corrupt b*stards!!
The livestream was great. Incredible watching the booster catch in real time. I was thinking “man, that things coming in hot”. Someone said it comes in like a bullet and I agree with that.
The thing about Starship Superheavy that I somehow always forget is its incredible size. Just under 122 meters/400 feet tall… it’s the size of a skyscraper. We have large pine trees outside our home that are less than half that size. I like to look out at the tree and imagine a rocket twice the height of those massive trees.
My benchmark for visualising Starship is an old cement silo down the road at the port... it's roughly the same dimensions as the earlier SN5/6 prototypes (i.e tanks only, no cargo section). So when I was picturing maybe four of those stacked on top of each other, it was like, yeah, this thing is going to be *huge*.
CONGRATS to WAI Team on 500k!! SpaceX Flight 5 / 500k for WAI!!! I have never logged in to RUclips or liked / subscribed to any content. But on this Generational Historic Moment, I Had to help push WAI over the top of HALF A Million! Of all the channels, Felix and company make following the aerospace sector such a pleasure ( I was 3 years old when we landed on the moon, and have had an interest in space since Star Trek Syndication...) Fantastic work WAI!
I’m old, old enough to remember watching Apollo 11 landing on the moon. THIS was so much more exciting mostly because we all know what lies ahead. Thank you SpaceX!!!
A lot of the companies are privately held so its difficult to see how much investment will be flowing into the industry from angel investors and venture capitalists but I guarantee you a lot of very rich men and women have been in meetings on Sunday, Monday, and today to discuss starting massive investments in a lot of space launch companies. Now that the world knows the path forward, you're about to see an industry expand at a phenomenal rate.
I was 12 at the time of Apollo 11 and remember the entire mission. With the exception of a dozen or so missions it seems we’ve accomplished very little in space since then. SpaceX has opened the future of manned space flight to all possibilities for the first time since 69.
Congrats on reaching 500k! Great video and it was cool listening to your joy in your voice as this was happening live! I was at a loss for words here on what we all got to watch! Growth and improvement continues!
LEO assembly yards and fuel depots first, why carry a steel ship to the moon if you can have it made of aluminum or other even lighter stuff? Then, bases on the moon to have manufacturing of more material and parts and boosters and missiles and orbital ships. Heck, maybe the first thing that takes humans to Mars will be a majestic scifi ship rotating with artificial gravity and all!!!!
It is more than just flap heat shields that need work. The engineering punch list appears to be: Engine relight (required prior to full orbital flight) Flap heat shields Heat shield upgrade Payload bay door More work required on propellant transfer Orbital maneuvering Docking Ship to ship propellant transfer Engine bell warping on reentry Stage zero improvement Hot staging redesign Mass optimization Somewhere in there, if they can solve the flap heat shields, there will be a ship catch attempt. These are the major objectives I can identify from the outside. I have probably missed a few, and undoubtedly there are a million minor objectives we will never know about. If anyone can solve these, it is SpaceX. When I was 9 years old, I felt a thrill when I heard “The Eagle has landed.” I haven’t felt that thrill again until I saw that booster catch. When I first heard about the idea of catching the booster, I thought it was a joke. Now it is reality. Well done Starship team.
It's a long list, but it's all doable. Every flight SpaceX has done so far they've checked a new box off the list, and with their increasing cadence even if it takes one flight per objective or even to, they'll have a rocket capable of revolutionizing everything within just a year or two. Following this has been absolutely incredible, and it's not often you can look at something and just know people will be looking back at this moment as a turning point in human history a thousand years from now.
Felix, Great Show Sunday! Pause at 9:47 in this video and look in the upper left corner. You can seen Ship 30 climbing away as the booster is about to get caught!
They won't. It clearly suffered significant damage. Even if it hadn't, they would want to take it apart and study it very carefully. The first reuse of a Falcon 9 was fourteen months and twelve launches after the first successful landing. Starship is still restricted to five launches per year.
I don’t want my kids to see this BUT this catch was the best thing I have ever seen in my life. Totally blew me away. Total amazement, Spacex just keeps doing more and better.
Felix, I accompanied you on the Historic day that Mechazilla caught a Super-Heavy Booster, and You caught a Half Million Subscribers! Congrats to the WAI team, and to the SpaceX Team as well! Everyone worked Very hard for this moment in History, and you deserve all of the accolades that you are getting!
What we witnessed with the Starship booster catch, is the creation of a new class of controlling software, integrating in the calculations a great number of possible failures. I can't say if SpaceX used AI or other programming techniques, but I can say we have seen a new technological development resembling a miracle to people who aren't in the know. SpaceX have cracked the code on the most difficult part of the booster catch, and what is left is to solve a number of engineering challenges - but the core of the system is there, and it is running fine. Thank you WAI, for your enthusiastic and precise report on the IFT5 mission. Greetings from the UK, Anthony
I suspect we'll see some chopstick upgrades after IFT-6 for Ship catch. They need to automate the pin insertion for Ship and rail catch, so they can do both without a manual process. Though it takes 3 orbits at 90 minutes each to re-align for a return to launch site. So they may have the ability to manually add the pins after they set the booster on a transport and remove it from the Ship catch attempt zone. 3 orbits to minimally return to launch site, but without a deorbit burn, technically, they could go around until the chopsticks are ready for a catch. It would be a good time to chuck some starlinks out the payload bay door. However, I'm not sure if they would be allowed to release cargo on IFT-6 since it's not in the mission license. 7 and 8 will have to have a new mission statement, so more likely to test deployment on those flights. Jan/Feb possibly. And that would be block 2 and may even have Raptor 3 installed, allowing for 100 tons of cargo. Which would be quite incredible to see 154 full size v3 Starlinks launched on IFT-7 or IFT-8!
Oh and due to new designs and testing, I doubt they will attempt a quick turn around of 7 and 8. Most likely new Starships. But still maybe just a week later for another try. Then with a lot of returns, they can inspect and dial in the required fixes to ensure they can try a reflight of hardware. I could see this as soon as March. Everyone is going to wanting to see returned vessels at the build site!!!
A Cat. III ILS runway approach, which uses the guiding radio beam you mention, can be used for a totally automated landing. The ILS though, can have one metre of tolerance - which is totally fine for aviation. I believe SpaceX has used a much more sophisticated system; you can see how the software is solving a number of differential equations in real time, based on a set of positioning data, from GPS to LIDAR. Great stuff - the future of rocketry...
@@odysseusrex5908 I believe it was Scott Manley, but don't quote me on that. It was reputable though. The source had it from SpaceX. Could have been Everyday Astronaut. I have watched so many landing videos that they all start to merge at this point. Anyway, it seems it all went according to plan and anything that happened, such as the tiles and flaps will be corrected. The next one should be in a month. The question is, will it be a Block 2? Knowing that Space X pushes at the edge of the envelope, I say they do. The flaps are also in a different location which may shield them from the most intense heat.
I believe Scott Manley was referring to several distinct flaming discharges higher up the booster when he was talking about a planned venting. I think he said he wasn’t sure about the fire at the As
Imagine....make the call....." In the water?,or catch it team?" Catch it on the tower it launched from. I watched Armstrong on the moon with my great aunt..that was able to tell me of the first car she saw...she cried at the moon landing. I cried at this capture.
Love the morse code. *That red line helicopter picture is incredible. You should definitely sell Is that as a print. 🦐 boat Interference 🤪 It's amazing that two seconds make such a big difference. Re entry is hotter than the sun 😱 Starlink is AWESOME and so are the cameras on the ship not burning up. I guess what the heat shield is back to the drawing board. I'm so glad the license covers flight six. Awesome episode as usual ❤
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SN15 still have fires even though it survives at the end so yes SN10 blow up because it lands so hard the entire skirt becomes the crush core, destroying every fuel line within it
15:15 "temperatures even greater than the surface of the sun" ... Dont you factcheck your phrases? The surface of the sun is about 5500K. Plasma in the hottest phases can get up to 1900K.
Felix! Holy Moley! I had goosebumps! A serious legendary historical event! Imagine when things get even better and flights begin to pick up! I can imagine a future of many flights. Many projects. Many joint ventures. Enjoy! Thanks for the coverage. Brilliant work!
@@NismoXero check the footage of hot ring separation on you tube mobile (you can zoom at least on Android), soon after hot ring separation, the booster start to make some maneuvers with their RCS ans you can see in zoom hot stage ring coming down and giving a small touch at booster and fall. (+4:32 flight time)
@@Bryan-Hensley Indeed, the new raptor engines should be more than capable of withstanding the forces experienced during reentry. Add onto that the increased power overall to the engine and just like that, we have the fully operational and perfectly efficient booster.
I truly couldnt imagine they would be able to do it... then I saw them do it... and now I can't believe how I was able to see it in real time and perfect live views of starship making plasma on reentry on the other side of the world.
I'm still in awe. I can't count the times I've watched to booster landing and it is just as amazing every time. I believe this truly this generations early Apollo moments. I can't wait to see what SpaceX deos next! Is there any info yet about the pieces falling from the engine bell housing area at the bottom of the booster after landing? They were clearly coming off in the central area and not more chine parts from the outer shell..
Given the following choices: 1. Retaining explosive methane on board until humans are working on it. 2. Releasing the methane into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas, 3. Burning the methane to convert it to carbon dioxide, a much less dangerous greenhouse gas, The 3rd option is always preferred. That is why you see burning gas at any petroleum processing plant.
Very impressive to see recapture of the boosters directly back to the launch pad. It solves a problem NASA had with loosing lots of money by letting them fall to the sea.
Hi Felix, You are amazing mate. I really like the way you do the cutaways being excited with your hands in the air or making a side comments. One of the best space channels on Yourtube. You and the team keep up the good work
200 tons, 233' X 30' , 43 miles straight up, back at exact launch spot in 7 minutes. My mind is blown completely. I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I really liked this production ! IT was really detailed and informative and Showed way more significant detail than any Other News Blah Blah Production !!! Very good ! Indeed !!!
I don't think we would ever get to the point of a booster flying twice the same day, anytime soon. That just doesn't seem possible given the nature of the forces involved in rocketry. There would have to be some kind of phenomenal innovation or discovery in the material science to create a rocket booster of that size that can perfectly withstand the forces needed without significant repair. But I don't think it's even necessary to fly the same booster multiple times per day to achieve a rapid launch cadence. All it takes is a sizeable fleet of rockets and boosters all tested and ready to go within hours notice. Think of it as a launch queue. The first rocket launches it comes back goes into inspection and refurbishment which could take a few days at best. But there's still the next rocket in the queue that already available to fly, so that one can launch within minutes or hours of the previous landing. And you can just keep launching one after the other. By the time you get to the end of the queue, the first rocket that was launched and went into inspection and refurbishment would have completed that and would now be ready to launch again. So they just need a sufficiently large fleet of rockets to create this queue such that there is always a rocket ready for launch as they all cycle through the launch - refurbish - ready for re-launch cyclical queue.
I took the family to a quick weekend vacation at Galveston beach, Tx. No idea SpaceX was actually going to launch. I woke up to live streams and man was it amazing to watch. If I'd have known I'd have left the family there and drove the 6+ hours to watch this thing in person. Kind of bummed I was so close and didn't know it.
Keep in mind that even though the second stage isn't reusable yet, SpaceX could realistically put 250 tonnes into orbit right now by expending the second stage if they wanted to.
The way you tell a story can be just as important as the story itself. Great episode!!! Question - does this now mean SpaceX is the only heavy/mega, lifter to space, and it's reusable? .. the entire world is decades behind SpaceX in terms of cost, payload-to-orbit capacity, and everything else.
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Will They Try To Refly Booster 12? What do you think???
"OMG YES" that wasn't what she said
It MAY fly...or it may be a static display for a bit. Mostly to study the effects of re-entry...and see how to improve it.
Since the launch was given for October 13th.
It may be that the Freemasons had a word with the FAA.
R
Honestly, I doubt they'll refly B12. It's already outdated hardware, and Musk looks forward, not backwards.
Great overview. Are you planning a deep dive into Europa Cliper ?
I am still struggling to wrap my head about how big of a leap forward this catch was!!! Humanity to the Stars!
Been with you since the beginning and still I believe you're the best at producing content. My belief is that SpaceX should use you as their media team.
Agreed, the catch was very impressive, I just wish the ship would actually start going places. Flyby/landing on moon?
Same here! Mars Just Got a lot closer!
@@Whataboutit come on felix, we need upgraded version of the 500k dance video. The last dance is so bad. 🫡
in principle yes - however i guess SpaceX will simply use it to spam 40,000 satelites into LEO
SpaceX made huge investsments for Spaceship, they need some financial benefit or simply bleed too much money
It feels like just yesterday I was watching the first Falcon Heavy test flight, and seeing the two side boosters landing simultaneously was the craziest thing I had ever seen. I was 14 at the time and I can say for certain that SpaceX, and that test flight in particular, is the reason I chose to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Im now in my second year of college, and I'm sure there's a kid out there who's seeing the Super Heavy Booster being caught for the first time, and it's sparking a love for space flight in them just as it did for me. I remember spending hours on RUclips learning everything I could about rockets, aerodynamics, orbital mechanics, etc. and without channels like this I might've been on a very different career path today. So, thank you Felix and the WAI team for helping to bring the world of space flight to new audiences!
good luck in college! Work hard and do good work and you will get a job at SpaceX !!
Have fun and remember to enjoy learning. Good times.
Peak human here lfg
That’s me lol. Just a stupid 15 year old
That’s a great story. I wish you the best of luck going forward and hope you land a sweet job at SpaceX or some other contractor that is part of the Mars mission. I’m excited for your future, good for you!
I've literally seen this catch 100 times already, and I get choked up. Lol, no joke. It's so crazy and amazing.
Same here
Glad it wasn't just me tearing up. It was so awesome. I actually stood and clapped in my living room when they caught it.
Yeah same here. It is insane
Looking forward to the outrageous slo-mo videos.
This "catch" raises more questions than it solves. Rapid reusability does not seem to be coming soon. They were talking one flight every 2-3 hours? I do not see how?
Having the booster back in their hands is a HUGE HUGE thing.. Gonna be great for them to be able to see how everything did or didnt work.
Worth its weight in gold. Talk about a treasure trove of data?!?
Everything worked…. This is an orbital rocket booster
If not everything worked, they wouldn’t have it
@@arwo1143 Then they should be able to relaunch it without doing anything to it. Don't think it's quite ready for that.. So enough worked that they felt very comfortable to do the catch..
@@jeffk1482 lol I just was thinking about its weight in gold... That's a lot :D
Excited to see how many launches they're going to get outta this Booster
Let me tell you, working there and being a part of what happened that morning, was by far one of the greatest moments of my life. I’ve never been more proud to be part of a team!!
GO SPACE X
GO STARSHIP
GO RAPTOR TEAM
me waiting for this video even though knowing that everything is already done
I still can't wrap my head around it. Been going through all our footage for days now and still find new things. Mars just got a lot closer!
Was great to watch live, thanks @Whataboutit team!
@@Whataboutit I hope they will launch 6 begin november, imagine 2 launches in less than a month, it's unlikely, but who knows
@@Whataboutit It's probably not a bad thing that for half the country and the world that Space-X launches have become somewhat routine and redundant. Our lead in the space race is narrowing quickly. It is inevitable that the USA MUST seize the day while it remains in their hands.
Me too
Our world is fundamentally different now because of this. We have entered the era of space industry and colonization. The age of heavy lift at a low cost per kilogram makes things possible we only once dreamed of. The future is bright, my friends.
This. Most haven't even realised it yet. This changes EVERYTHING about spaceflight and our future!
@@Whataboutit SpaceX about to get into the space station business
Make Colonization Great Again!
On our way to see a true MCRN , Musk Colonial Rocket Navy, settling the solar system!
Oh, the possibilities!
Felix, I took your recommendations. I flew in from Seattle and rented a 10' U-haul truck to camp in. I spent the night at Raptor Roost and watched the launch from there. Then I went to Redline Helicopters for a sunset tour of starbase. What an awesome adventure.
Awesome, I'm hoping to make the same trip!
So glad to see you hit 500,000 now on to a Million!!
Thanks, Jeff! And Thanks for all the support!!!
Saw it live on this channel, the helicopter camera footage is the best footage I have seen from any channel out there. Really sick footage.
@@Whataboutit when are we going mars?
@@poniesofficial 2026 unmanned ships
2028 manned ships
@@Mr_cube. alr ty!
@@Mr_cube. Not Mars, but maybe the Moon by 2028.
Let's think about this for a minute. It took almost ten years and dozens of launches by the USA and Russia and others to assemble the International Space Station. A fully reusable Starship could easily lift all that mass in a day. 2 or 3 launches. The expansion of our capability to exploit near Earth space is about to leap forward. Less than 50 years after the first powered aircraft took to the sky we had jet plans and rockets. Another 10 years, and we had men on the moon. Then we slowed down, and for over 70 years we've been content to make incremental progress. Now, we're facing the possibility of being able to send 100-150 TONS into orbit day after day after day. It would take me hours to list everything we might accomplish with such an ability. I've been giddy since Sunday morning. Dreaming again of the promise of space, the Final Frontier.
The things that we can build in orbit now are very fun to think about.
Govt/NASA makes space look unaffordable, unsustainable, near impossible.. SpaceX makes it look affordable, sustainable, doable.. it’s Govt waste, pork, incompetence vs private enterprise innovation, efficiency, spirit.. Private enterprise developed US aviation... 50 years after the Wright Bros tens of thousands of Americans flew worldwide affordably. But big govt NASA grabbed a monopoly on US space... 60 years after John Glenn only a couple hundred Govt selected 'astronauts' have flown in space at over $1 billion taxpayer dollars each, & NASA’s SLS is $4+ billion per launch. & Government’s response is to obstruct SpaceX under FAA/NASA’s thumb.
Actually, these 100-150 tons per day is for just a single Starship. And SpaceX has plans to add at least one Starship per week to their fleet. (I wonder where they're planning to keep them all...)
@@realulli 100-150 per launch. Probably won't be able to relaunch most variants more than once per day (have to reload them after all) but I expect we'll see the tanker variants flying multiple times per day.
@@brianfenno4652 in a few years engineers will have to search for ways to clean the space of old junk and satellites fragments orbiting Earth.
There must have been a huge over pressure when the engines ignited to slow the descent, blowing off the chine covers and pushing open a QD valve. It kind of was like the moon landing, Felix. Except that lasted weeks and this miracle was briefly enjoyed. Those last 10 seconds are incredible - he backed that booster into the tower like a cabbie parallel parks his cab on 5th ave. Love your reaction cameos, btw.
I don’t know if it was from the engines or the sonic boom, but there’s a video of the booster landing from a nearby beach and you can see the insane pressure creating condensed moisture rings in the air all around the booster, like the wave front of a massive explosion.
LOL the cabbie image... all that was missing was a driver with one arm out of the window, looking back to dose the power with the other hand during the parking maneuver... and maybe while hearing a deafening "BEEP BEEP" from the reverse buzzer.
Did I already say LOL?
Truly, congratulations to the entire team of engineers and technicians for the impressive result.
I love the parallel parking description 😂.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu 500.000 Abos 🎉💙
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles
@@belli7639 sie nie zesraj..
I love how routine having video of full re-entry has become so quickly
Having this booster back in tact is a wealth of information for SpaceX
Booster 12 probably said something like "Just like the simulations"
I can not believe this. I was expecting a booster catch no earlier than FT-7. A unmanned starship launch to mars in two years actually seems much more realistic. As for starship, it is working. I am positive that they can get these tiles operating nominally within a year. Let’s go SpaceX! Let’s go WAI team!
Just Awesome. This is the most exciting launch (event) I have seen since Appolo 11 and I was on the Mission Control Team on Voyager, Magellan, and Galileo. But they were close seconds, especially when Magellon was Shuttle launched and I was on the whole mission.
The day before this launch I had serious doubts about the landing as it seemed to me F9 landings were mostly off center by a few feet. The change in attitude was due to a SpaceX official reporting the landing accuracy of flight 4 as about 1 centimeter (paraphrased).
your coverage of IFT5 was good. Well done
Thank you! The team worked very hard for this one! VERY glad you all enjoyed it as much as we did!!!
The booster catch was the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
Still can't believe they did it 🥳🥳 and still I'm getting goosebumps watching the video of catching the booster 🫠
I find that this channel is the most accurately informative about spacex.
🙏Thank you! We certainly give it all! We're not done yet either!
@@Whataboutit 👍
Everyone keeps reporting that sparks are seen and things are coming apart, but we forget that there are many areas that have tiles removed, modified tiles and in the case of the forward flaps. it's still the old design. I can't wait to see what 33 does!
Absolutely. They already moved the forward flaps and have test data for the missing tiles. I assume IFT-6 will include a complete tile set. Unless they have a way to further improve the shielding, then they may need some test tiles.
I think the next launch objective will be similar to flight 5 but with additional tests for engine relight and payload bay door tests. flight 7 may be the first fully orbital test.
@@anthonylosego Yeah that makes sense.
I’ve learned that sadly, most people don’t understand the value of destructive testing. NASA faced a bit of backlash just for doing an overpressure test on the SLS fuel tank, NASA is reluctant to perform large scale destructive tests because taxpayers will yell at them for “wasting money.”
@@sakshamShukla_agreed.
The update/recap I was looking forward to. Thanks.
THANK YOU!!!
felix you getting choked up after hitting 500k was probably the best part of that live stream
Congratulations on 500 k
Thank you all so much for believing in us!!! We feel honored!
@@WhataboutitYou deserve it! Your dedication and presentation is second to NONE. Always a joy with WAI 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Superb coverage and great to you see you get 500,000 subscribers
What an historic moment in spaceflight! Watching the catch live was a surreal adrenaline rush of disbelief and hope. I happen to be one of the 500K subscribers, and I now turrn to WAI more than any other spaceflight channel due to the pace and depth of the coverage they provide. I love how you guys walk through everything that goes on during the prep for these flights, not only filling us in on what is happening, but also providing your research and intelligent speculations of WHY things are happening. This insightful curiousity is infectious, and keeps me learning. Thank you guys, and CONGRATS ON 500,000, YOU ROCK!
Felix just checked another newsman box; standing in a hurricane and reporting.
Congrat Felix for the 500k !!!!
I'm known as the stoic one in the family. It's really hard to get me to cry about anything. But this... my God watching this.
I was shedding tears like you wouldn't believe
I wasn’t shedding tears, just jumping up and down, screaming, and fist pumping like a madman at work. Thank I was in the back where customers couldn’t see or hear me 🤣
Yeah me too. I rarely cry, but I shed a tear at the sheer beauty of this
Yep same here. This 40yo man had tears rolling down his cheeks.
That what happens when your dreams of a bright future are re-kindled. Congratulations.
They need an organization other than the FAA to regulate space launches. Just because they "fly" doesn't mean they're aircraft.
I regret that I have but one like to give.
The FAA’s only job needs to be to clear the airspace for launches and landings.
What's Space Force doing?
@@TheRealestHi Truth. Adults should be free to make their own risk/reward decisions.
Space Force is spending most of our tax money but we don't get to know how. Just shut up and keep forking over 30% of your hard earned pay. Then after that pay another 40% of what's left to the government through sales tax, property tax, fuel taxes, car registrations, fees, fines and much more! Quiet, just be happy you get to keep 10 cents of every dollar you earn.
That the FAA allowed it tells you 100% the delay was intentional. If there was serious safety or environmental concerns they'd have not issued the license, regardless of the pressure put on them.
I hate spiteful bureaucracts with a vengence.
The lawsuit could have gotten their attention. It would have opened up a discovery which would have exposed if it was political or not.
The EPA was the ones holding it up the most. The FAA finally pressured the EPA to expedite their findings. The FAA was waiting just like the rest of us.
@@NismoXero source??
@@Bryan-Hensley it should still go ahead, if agencies are infected with partisan political leanings that needs to be ripped out of them.
You don’t have to look any further than how California is OPENLY stating they are blocking SpaceX flights next year because of Elon’s politics. Get your head out of the sand and stop electing these corrupt b*stards!!
Massive congratulations Felix and team on passing 500K subscribers, you rock! 🎉🎊❤ Glad you and your family made it safely through Milton too! 😊
The livestream was great. Incredible watching the booster catch in real time. I was thinking “man, that things coming in hot”. Someone said it comes in like a bullet and I agree with that.
Great report, Felix. Glad you have been able to be there.
The thing about Starship Superheavy that I somehow always forget is its incredible size. Just under 122 meters/400 feet tall… it’s the size of a skyscraper.
We have large pine trees outside our home that are less than half that size. I like to look out at the tree and imagine a rocket twice the height of those massive trees.
The fully stacked rocket is taller than Hyperion, the tallest tree in the world.
My benchmark for visualising Starship is an old cement silo down the road at the port... it's roughly the same dimensions as the earlier SN5/6 prototypes (i.e tanks only, no cargo section). So when I was picturing maybe four of those stacked on top of each other, it was like, yeah, this thing is going to be *huge*.
I wasn't able to watch the launch live, but I watched your coverage as soon as I got home. It was AMAZING!! Thank you for what you do!
Can't wait for the orbital refueling tests.
Need to perfect reentry and catch landing of the ship first, and secure permission for more than five launches per year, but refueling is coming.
CONGRATS to WAI Team on 500k!! SpaceX Flight 5 / 500k for WAI!!!
I have never logged in to RUclips or liked / subscribed to any content. But on this Generational Historic Moment, I Had to help push WAI over the top of HALF A Million!
Of all the channels, Felix and company make following the aerospace sector such a pleasure ( I was 3 years old when we landed on the moon, and have had an interest in space since Star Trek Syndication...) Fantastic work WAI!
I’m old, old enough to remember watching Apollo 11 landing on the moon. THIS was so much more exciting mostly because we all know what lies ahead.
Thank you SpaceX!!!
A lot of the companies are privately held so its difficult to see how much investment will be flowing into the industry from angel investors and venture capitalists but I guarantee you a lot of very rich men and women have been in meetings on Sunday, Monday, and today to discuss starting massive investments in a lot of space launch companies. Now that the world knows the path forward, you're about to see an industry expand at a phenomenal rate.
@@ryelor123 spacex gains alot of money from starlink, so they aren't dependent on investors
I was 12 at the time of Apollo 11 and remember the entire mission. With the exception of a dozen or so missions it seems we’ve accomplished very little in space since then. SpaceX has opened the future of manned space flight to all possibilities for the first time since 69.
Congrats on reaching 500k! Great video and it was cool listening to your joy in your voice as this was happening live! I was at a loss for words here on what we all got to watch! Growth and improvement continues!
The nearest term thing i can see starship being used for before mars is to set up space stations. Get manufacturing up in space is key
LEO assembly yards and fuel depots first, why carry a steel ship to the moon if you can have it made of aluminum or other even lighter stuff? Then, bases on the moon to have manufacturing of more material and parts and boosters and missiles and orbital ships. Heck, maybe the first thing that takes humans to Mars will be a majestic scifi ship rotating with artificial gravity and all!!!!
It is more than just flap heat shields that need work.
The engineering punch list appears to be:
Engine relight (required prior to full orbital flight)
Flap heat shields
Heat shield upgrade
Payload bay door
More work required on propellant transfer
Orbital maneuvering
Docking
Ship to ship propellant transfer
Engine bell warping on reentry
Stage zero improvement
Hot staging redesign
Mass optimization
Somewhere in there, if they can solve the flap heat shields, there will be a ship catch attempt.
These are the major objectives I can identify from the outside. I have probably missed a few, and undoubtedly there are a million minor objectives we will never know about. If anyone can solve these, it is SpaceX.
When I was 9 years old, I felt a thrill when I heard “The Eagle has landed.” I haven’t felt that thrill again until I saw that booster catch.
When I first heard about the idea of catching the booster, I thought it was a joke. Now it is reality. Well done Starship team.
It's a long list, but it's all doable. Every flight SpaceX has done so far they've checked a new box off the list, and with their increasing cadence even if it takes one flight per objective or even to, they'll have a rocket capable of revolutionizing everything within just a year or two.
Following this has been absolutely incredible, and it's not often you can look at something and just know people will be looking back at this moment as a turning point in human history a thousand years from now.
I nearly skipped a heart beat when the booster descend closed to tower 😂😂😂
I thought it bumped the tower at first
@@Bryan-Hensley the stake was just too high
Felix, Great Show Sunday! Pause at 9:47 in this video and look in the upper left corner. You can seen Ship 30 climbing away as the booster is about to get caught!
I hope they refurbish the booster and launch it again. Wouldn't that be something!
Unlikely. They are building block 2 boosters. This is a museum piece.
@@danharold3087 Too big and dangerous to keep as a museum item.
@@jantoleu8392 Is it? The oxygen and methane tanks can be vented and flushed with nitrogen or even air.
They won't. It clearly suffered significant damage. Even if it hadn't, they would want to take it apart and study it very carefully. The first reuse of a Falcon 9 was fourteen months and twelve launches after the first successful landing. Starship is still restricted to five launches per year.
@@danharold3087 yeah, the first falcon booster landing and first superheavy booster catch was museum piece.
I don’t want my kids to see this BUT this catch was the best thing I have ever seen in my life. Totally blew me away. Total amazement, Spacex just keeps doing more and better.
Outstanding achievement. This is a giant leap for mankind
Felix, I accompanied you on the Historic day that Mechazilla caught a Super-Heavy Booster, and You caught
a Half Million Subscribers! Congrats to the WAI team, and to the SpaceX Team as well! Everyone worked
Very hard for this moment in History, and you deserve all of the accolades that you are getting!
What we witnessed with the Starship booster catch, is the creation of a new class of controlling software, integrating in the calculations a great number of possible failures. I can't say if SpaceX used AI or other programming techniques, but I can say we have seen a new technological development resembling a miracle to people who aren't in the know.
SpaceX have cracked the code on the most difficult part of the booster catch, and what is left is to solve a number of engineering challenges - but the core of the system is there, and it is running fine.
Thank you WAI, for your enthusiastic and precise report on the IFT5 mission.
Greetings from the UK,
Anthony
Pay attention to the arms, they were adjusting independently to be where the booster is. There's some intelligent software controlling them too.
I suspect we'll see some chopstick upgrades after IFT-6 for Ship catch. They need to automate the pin insertion for Ship and rail catch, so they can do both without a manual process. Though it takes 3 orbits at 90 minutes each to re-align for a return to launch site. So they may have the ability to manually add the pins after they set the booster on a transport and remove it from the Ship catch attempt zone. 3 orbits to minimally return to launch site, but without a deorbit burn, technically, they could go around until the chopsticks are ready for a catch. It would be a good time to chuck some starlinks out the payload bay door. However, I'm not sure if they would be allowed to release cargo on IFT-6 since it's not in the mission license. 7 and 8 will have to have a new mission statement, so more likely to test deployment on those flights. Jan/Feb possibly. And that would be block 2 and may even have Raptor 3 installed, allowing for 100 tons of cargo. Which would be quite incredible to see 154 full size v3 Starlinks launched on IFT-7 or IFT-8!
Oh and due to new designs and testing, I doubt they will attempt a quick turn around of 7 and 8. Most likely new Starships. But still maybe just a week later for another try. Then with a lot of returns, they can inspect and dial in the required fixes to ensure they can try a reflight of hardware. I could see this as soon as March. Everyone is going to wanting to see returned vessels at the build site!!!
I am thinking they used a localizer beam similar to commercial aircraft during landing on foggy runways to help the booster land
A Cat. III ILS runway approach, which uses the guiding radio beam you mention, can be used for a totally automated landing. The ILS though, can have one metre of tolerance - which is totally fine for aviation. I believe SpaceX has used a much more sophisticated system; you can see how the software is solving a number of differential equations in real time, based on a set of positioning data, from GPS to LIDAR.
Great stuff - the future of rocketry...
Better than Walter Cronkite? There were moments. Especially when you describe the ballistic flight path of Starship. Excellent. Congrats. Keep it up.
The quick disconnect was venting excess fuel, thus the flames. I wondered about that too, but it was planned and necessary to prevent an explosion.
I accept that that could be but I have not seen SpaceX say that. What is your source for that information?
@@odysseusrex5908 I believe it was Scott Manley, but don't quote me on that. It was reputable though. The source had it from SpaceX. Could have been Everyday Astronaut. I have watched so many landing videos that they all start to merge at this point. Anyway, it seems it all went according to plan and anything that happened, such as the tiles and flaps will be corrected. The next one should be in a month. The question is, will it be a Block 2? Knowing that Space X pushes at the edge of the envelope, I say they do. The flaps are also in a different location which may shield them from the most intense heat.
I believe Scott Manley was referring to several distinct flaming discharges higher up the booster when he was talking about a planned venting. I think he said he wasn’t sure about the fire at the As
The QD.
Congratulations on reaching 500k Subscribers!!!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch für 500.000 Abos, Felix und das Team you rock🎉🎉🎉🎉
Vielen Dank!!!! Unfassbar!
Put that boster in a museum. A pice of history now
That booster deserves a place at SpaceX lobby of historic items.
yeah definitely a historic piece right there.
Imagine....make the call....." In the water?,or catch it team?"
Catch it on the tower it launched from.
I watched Armstrong on the moon with my great aunt..that was able to tell me of the first car she saw...she cried at the moon landing.
I cried at this capture.
The sparks were intentionell. They mounted some aluminium tiles on the belly as a heat indicator!
Thanks for the vid. Your excitement is contagious.
Love the morse code.
*That red line helicopter picture is incredible. You should definitely sell Is that as a print.
🦐 boat Interference 🤪
It's amazing that two seconds make such a big difference.
Re entry is hotter than the sun 😱
Starlink is AWESOME and so are the cameras on the ship not burning up.
I guess what the heat shield is back to the drawing board.
I'm so glad the license covers flight six.
Awesome episode as usual ❤
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congrats on the 500K subscribers Felix! I've been a fan for years...since the start, and I'm glad your channels growing!
GO 500k! fistbump from Estonia!
Wow Felix thank you for your great implications in all this story of SpaceX. There is no other team like yours! Special thanks from Montreal.
I was never concerned with the fire. It appeared to be nominal.
SN15 still have fires even though it survives at the end so yes
SN10 blow up because it lands so hard the entire skirt becomes the crush core, destroying every fuel line within it
These debrief videos are now a must-watch tradition. The flight isn't truly over until you three discuss it!
15:15 "temperatures even greater than the surface of the sun" ... Dont you factcheck your phrases? The surface of the sun is about 5500K. Plasma in the hottest phases can get up to 1900K.
Felix!
Holy Moley!
I had goosebumps!
A serious legendary historical event!
Imagine when things get even better and flights begin to pick up!
I can imagine a future of many flights. Many projects. Many joint ventures.
Enjoy!
Thanks for the coverage.
Brilliant work!
Congrats on 500k!!
Flight 5 was incredible and the catch was just so AWESOME!!!!!!
If you zoom the hot ring separation, you can see hot stage ring kissing the lower side of booster, thats the little damage at booster lower.
Interesting. Who's video shows that? I'd like to see it.
@@NismoXero check the footage of hot ring separation on you tube mobile (you can zoom at least on Android), soon after hot ring separation, the booster start to make some maneuvers with their RCS ans you can see in zoom hot stage ring coming down and giving a small touch at booster and fall. (+4:32 flight time)
@@ValadarishUR That is probably why the chime was damaged. Good observation.
Congrats on the 500,000 subscribers. YOU ROCK!
What do you mean, “finally” it was their first attempt to catch it.
I turned on No Time For Caution during booster catch, it's so fitting
It's an OST from docking in Interstellar, btw
Imagine of SpaceX comes out and announces that they will refly B12 with S26 after replacing the outer raptors and repairing the windstrake.
Just because they can.
I kinda doubt it, they are wanting to get rid of the outdated stuff. This booster didn't have the latest raptor engine.
@@Bryan-Hensley Indeed, the new raptor engines should be more than capable of withstanding the forces experienced during reentry. Add onto that the increased power overall to the engine and just like that, we have the fully operational and perfectly efficient booster.
I truly couldnt imagine they would be able to do it... then I saw them do it... and now I can't believe how I was able to see it in real time and perfect live views of starship making plasma on reentry on the other side of the world.
When "crazy" people do the sci-fi things...🙏💪👏🚀
Mr. Spock würde sagen: "Faszinierend" :) LG aus Acapulco/Mexiko
First! Amazing launch, perfect landing, thanks FELIX for the coverage.
Damn, not even close to first 😅
Indeed watching this live felt like watching the moon landing
nice haircut! you look sharp 👌
I'm still in awe. I can't count the times I've watched to booster landing and it is just as amazing every time. I believe this truly this generations early Apollo moments. I can't wait to see what SpaceX deos next!
Is there any info yet about the pieces falling from the engine bell housing area at the bottom of the booster after landing? They were clearly coming off in the central area and not more chine parts from the outer shell..
You hitting 500k is what will truly revolutionize space flight 😂❤ 9:06
The Starship is attracting so many viewers, they are getting a lot of subs! It bumped up and over very quickly with this flight!!!
Given the following choices:
1. Retaining explosive methane on board until humans are working on it.
2. Releasing the methane into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas,
3. Burning the methane to convert it to carbon dioxide, a much less dangerous greenhouse gas,
The 3rd option is always preferred. That is why you see burning gas at any petroleum processing plant.
Very impressive to see recapture of the boosters directly back to the launch pad. It solves a problem NASA had with loosing lots of money by letting them fall to the sea.
Hopped over to the livestream to see your reaction to the catch and reentry just to see you hit 500k congratulations man
This was truly amazing 👏 . It is sad, POTUS is silent on this! Should have a ticker tape parade.
They’re throwing a pity party because Musk doesn’t like them.
As was the FAA which are in theory 'partners' with spaceX.
Hi Felix, You are amazing mate. I really like the way you do the cutaways being excited with your hands in the air or making a side comments. One of the best space channels on Yourtube. You and the team keep up the good work
Outstanding video Felix! Love your cheerful, enthusiastic and fun summary of this incredible event! YOU ROCK!
Thank you!!! :)
200 tons, 233' X 30' , 43 miles straight up, back at exact launch spot in 7 minutes. My mind is blown completely. I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I really liked this production ! IT was really detailed and informative and Showed way more significant detail than any Other News Blah Blah Production !!! Very good ! Indeed !!!
The view from the bouy of Starship landing prior to it exploding would be great to see.
That catch was amazing. My mom cried. Way to go SpaceX. And thanks to the FAA and government working, as it should, to get approval when needed.
I don't think we would ever get to the point of a booster flying twice the same day, anytime soon. That just doesn't seem possible given the nature of the forces involved in rocketry. There would have to be some kind of phenomenal innovation or discovery in the material science to create a rocket booster of that size that can perfectly withstand the forces needed without significant repair.
But I don't think it's even necessary to fly the same booster multiple times per day to achieve a rapid launch cadence. All it takes is a sizeable fleet of rockets and boosters all tested and ready to go within hours notice. Think of it as a launch queue. The first rocket launches it comes back goes into inspection and refurbishment which could take a few days at best. But there's still the next rocket in the queue that already available to fly, so that one can launch within minutes or hours of the previous landing. And you can just keep launching one after the other. By the time you get to the end of the queue, the first rocket that was launched and went into inspection and refurbishment would have completed that and would now be ready to launch again. So they just need a sufficiently large fleet of rockets to create this queue such that there is always a rocket ready for launch as they all cycle through the launch - refurbish - ready for re-launch cyclical queue.
I took the family to a quick weekend vacation at Galveston beach, Tx. No idea SpaceX was actually going to launch. I woke up to live streams and man was it amazing to watch. If I'd have known I'd have left the family there and drove the 6+ hours to watch this thing in person. Kind of bummed I was so close and didn't know it.
Keep in mind that even though the second stage isn't reusable yet, SpaceX could realistically put 250 tonnes into orbit right now by expending the second stage if they wanted to.
I watched it with you live; but, to be honest, this is the video I've been waiting for. It was so amazing I wanted to see post flight analysis.
The way you tell a story can be just as important as the story itself. Great episode!!! Question - does this now mean SpaceX is the only heavy/mega, lifter to space, and it's reusable? .. the entire world is decades behind SpaceX in terms of cost, payload-to-orbit capacity, and everything else.