From: allin
Elon Musk emphasizes the importance of space exploration and making humanity a multi-planetary species, primarily through the development of SpaceX’s Starship. He notes that while progress is being made, regulatory hurdles significantly impede the pace of innovation and development.
Current Missions and Goals
SpaceX had an important and exciting launch potentially happening on the night of the interview, involving the Polaris Dawn Mission [00:27:28]. This mission is a private endeavor funded by Jared Isaacman [00:27:40]. It marks the first private and commercial spacewalk, reaching the highest altitude since the Apollo missions [00:27:47]. Astronaut safety is paramount, as space is inherently dangerous [00:28:20].
Starship and Mars Colonization
The next significant milestone after the Polaris Dawn Mission is the next flight of Starship [00:28:41]. The Starship is ready to fly, pending regulatory approval [00:28:45].
Musk stated that the Starship is projected to reach Mars in two years for an uncrewed mission, with a crewed aspirational launch four years out [00:31:04]. Recent progress includes successfully reaching orbital velocity twice and achieving soft water landings for both the booster and the ship, even with significant damage to the ship’s flaps [00:31:25]. This indicates that SpaceX expects to launch Starship reliably and repeatedly [00:31:47].
The “Holy Grail” breakthrough for multiplanetary life is a rapidly reusable, reliable rocket [00:31:57]. Starship is designed for full reusability, a concept being proven with each launch [00:32:21]. Musk is confident in its eventual success [00:33:04].
The long-term vision for Mars colonization involves sending many robots to do the necessary work, as Mars is currently a “robot planet” populated by Rovers and helicopters [00:50:31].
Regulatory and Governmental Challenges
A significant barrier to rapid progress in space exploration is the slow pace of regulation and approvals. Musk notes that it should not be possible to build a giant rocket faster than paper moves from one desk to another for approval [00:28:56]. He argues that improvement in regulatory speed would greatly accelerate progress [00:33:06]. Without streamlining regulations and approvals, it will be difficult for humanity to become a space-faring, multiplanetary species [00:33:23].
An example of the absurdity of current regulations is a $140,000 fine levied by the EPA against SpaceX for “dumping” portable (drinking) water on the ground at Starbase to cool the Launchpad during liftoff [00:13:08]. This occurred despite being in a tropical thunderstorm region where water falls from the sky frequently, and no actual harm was done [00:13:24]. The fine was effectively a ransom, as further Starship launch applications would not be processed until it was paid [00:14:16]. Musk expressed concern that such impediments could prevent reaching Mars [00:14:29].
Rocket technology is considered advanced weapons technology, which means moving operations to other countries to avoid regulatory hurdles is not straightforward [00:35:05]. However, if the U.S. does not advance, other countries theoretically could [00:35:10].
Inspiration for the Future
Musk believes it is incredibly important to have inspiring goals for the future, such as becoming a multi-planet species and exploring the stars [00:33:55]. He emphasizes the importance of children being excited about the prospect of becoming astronauts on Mars or even venturing beyond the solar system, making Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy a reality [00:34:13]. Life should not solely be about solving one problem after another but also about having things to look forward to that “move your heart” [00:34:47].