- Elon Musk gave YouTuber Tim Dodd an exclusive tour of SpaceX’s impressive Starbase facility.
- The Starfactory showcased Starship’s production.
- Musk unveiled plans for an upgraded launch tower to support the next generation of rockets.
Musk’s Starbase odyssey
Elon Musk recently gave science YouTuber Tim Dodd, known as “Everyday Astronaut,” an exclusive tour of SpaceX’s Starbase facility in south Texas.
The site has transformed from mostly tents to a massive facility that Musk anticipates will “dramatically improve production” of the company’s Starship spacecraft.
Musk showcased various sections of the new Starfactory, including the Megabay, which holds three booster rockets, and a closeup of the Raptor engines that power Starship’s Super Heavy booster.
The launchpad: where ginormous dreams take flight
The SpaceX CEO also revealed the new design of the next-gen Raptor, which features integral cooling circuits throughout the engine, making it “very simple on the outside, but complicated on the inside.”
In a second video, Musk toured the launchpad, where the full-stack Starship awaited launch. Weighing 5,000 tons at liftoff, the spacecraft is the largest flying object of any kind.
Musk expressed his satisfaction with the orbital launch mount and shared plans to add an even taller, more upgraded second launch tower for the next generation of rockets.