TapTechNews reports that on May 30, the SpaceX company led by Elon Musk plans to conduct the fourth high-profile test flight of Starship on June 5. Before that, Musk refuted the claim about the company subsidizing the shared launch of Falcon 9 rockets and other launch missions. The CEO of a competing company said in an interview that SpaceX provides rocket launch services at a price lower than the cost, which makes SpaceX the focus.
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It is noted that Musk also mentioned a key problem faced by Starship, which may lead to its second-stage rocket not being able to reach the expected goal in the upcoming IFT-4 test.
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Although Musk did not specifically state the cost of Falcon 9's shared launch, he refuted the claim that SpaceX operates at a loss. In 2024, the number of Falcon 9 launches is expected to set a record, and so far SpaceX has carried out 56 launch missions. Musk said that as far as he knows, "none of the shared launch missions are at a loss," suggesting that SpaceX does not subsidize shared and other launch missions.
In addition to being the largest rocket in the world, Starship is also the world's first rocket with a fully reusable second-stage rocket. This is different from Falcon 9, meaning that SpaceX does not have to build a new second-stage rocket (and engine) for each launch. According to Musk, the "last big problem" in achieving full reusability of Starship is the heat shield.
Musk believes that solving this problem requires "a lot of attempts," and SpaceX needs to establish a new supply chain to manufacture cheap components. Musk pointed out that when designing a reusable heat shield, a key limitation is its weight. Currently, SpaceX "cannot afford to lose any heat shield in most cases, because the secondary protection material may not be able to withstand the pressure after loss."
One key aspect of designing the heat shield is to simulate various situations to discover its weaknesses. Musk emphasized that SpaceX "can only discover weaknesses through flight." It is known that a key goal of the fourth test flight of Starship is to "control the re-entry of Starship into the atmosphere." To perfectly achieve this goal, the heat shield must withstand all the pressure of the atmosphere.