[0:06] I watched it and immediately thought,
[0:09] "Wow." Because Flight 12 somehow looked
[0:11] spectacular and slightly concerning at
[0:14] the same time, which is becoming a very
[0:16] Starship experience. On the surface, the
[0:18] mission was impressive. And for a
[0:20] moment, Starship looked dangerously
[0:22] close to true reusability. But then
[0:24] there was the engine. No explosion, no
[0:27] dramatic failure, just smoke drifting
[0:29] around a Raptor vacuum engine like it
[0:31] had already submitted its resignation
[0:32] paperwork. So, what happened? Why did
[0:34] the engine fail? How will SpaceX
[0:36] respond? And despite the issue, why are
[0:39] many people still calling Flight 12 one
[0:41] of the most successful ship flights yet?
[0:43] Let's break it down on today's episode
[0:45] of Great SpaceX. What a chaotic,
[0:47] beautiful stainless steel roller coaster
[0:49] it turned out to be. One of the biggest
[0:51] highlights of the flight was the debut
[0:53] power of the Raptor 3 engines. These
[0:55] engines represent the next evolution of
[0:57] SpaceX propulsion. Now overall, the ship
[1:00] portion of flight 12 actually performed
[1:02] extremely well. But early into Ascent,
[1:05] trouble appeared. At T + 3 minutes and 3
[1:08] seconds, one of the Raptor vacuum
[1:09] engines failed, and unlike temporary
[1:12] glitches seen on previous flights, this
[1:14] one never recovered. The engine was
[1:16] completely dead. SpaceX later confirmed
[1:18] the issue in an official update stating,
[1:21] "During its ascent burn to space,
[1:23] Starship lost one of the Raptor 3 vacuum
[1:25] engines, but demonstrated its engine out
[1:27] capability and achieved its planned
[1:29] trajectory." That statement is important
[1:31] because despite the failure, ship still
[1:33] successfully reached its intended
[1:35] trajectory. That alone is a major
[1:38] achievement. But obviously, losing an
[1:39] engine this early is not something
[1:41] SpaceX can casually ignore while
[1:43] pretending everything is fine. So, what
[1:45] exactly caused the problem? To
[1:47] understand it, we need to examine the
[1:49] live stream footage carefully. The most
[1:51] revealing moment came at t plus 7
[1:53] minutes and 29 seconds. At that point,
[1:55] the three sea-le engines and two of the
[1:57] vacuum engines were still operating
[1:59] normally. But one vacuum engine stood
[2:01] out immediately and not in a good way.
[2:04] There was no visible exhaust plume, no
[2:06] bright energy emission, nothing. The
[2:09] engine looked completely inactive.
[2:11] Instead, it was surrounded by an odd
[2:13] cloud of grayish blue smoke. And unlike
[2:16] the other engines, the upper section
[2:18] also lacked frost buildup. That detail
[2:21] may seem small, but it's actually
[2:23] extremely important. The frost normally
[2:25] appears because the engine components
[2:27] remain incredibly cold due to cryogenic
[2:30] propellants. But if heat suddenly rises
[2:32] in that area, the frost disappears,
[2:35] which strongly suggests something near
[2:37] the top of the engine overheated or
[2:39] worse burned. That immediately led many
[2:42] observers to suspect structural damage.
[2:44] And honestly, the evidence supports that
[2:46] theory pretty well. Now, here's where
[2:48] things get especially interesting. In
[2:51] the Raptor 3 design, SpaceX removed the
[2:53] external engine heat shield that existed
[2:55] on earlier Raptors. Previously, there
[2:58] was a protective outer casing around the
[3:00] upper portions of the engine. But with
[3:02] Raptor 3, SpaceX decided they no longer
[3:04] needed it. Why? Because the company
[3:06] wanted to reduce mass and simplify the
[3:08] engine architecture. SpaceX also
[3:10] believed Raptor 3 had become integrated
[3:12] enough to survive without additional
[3:14] thermal protection, but Flight 12 may
[3:16] have exposed the limits of that
[3:18] confidence. During ascent, the engine
[3:21] likely experienced intense thermal
[3:23] stress. That heat could have damaged
[3:25] sensitive plumbing or components near
[3:27] the top section. And once damage began,
[3:30] things may have escalated quickly. The
[3:32] smoke itself could indicate a leak. If
[3:34] cracks formed in the engine structure or
[3:36] propellant lines, hot gases escaping
[3:39] under extreme pressure would create
[3:41] exactly the kind of plume visible in the
[3:43] footage. And because these engines
[3:44] operate under absurd conditions, even
[3:47] tiny failures can grow very quickly.
[3:50] Remember, Raptor engines run at chamber
[3:52] pressures so high they basically treat
[3:54] physics like a speed limit suggestion.
[3:57] This is not forgiving hardware. Now,
[3:59] interestingly, the engine issue wasn't
[4:01] the only visible damage on ship.
[4:04] Sharpeyed viewers also noticed what
[4:06] appeared to be minor damage around the
[4:07] ship's skirt area, specifically near the
[4:10] region between sea level engine number
[4:12] 140 and vacuum engine number 98. A red
[4:15] glow became visible in the live stream
[4:17] footage, most likely. This damage
[4:19] occurred during hot staging separation.
[4:21] That's the phase where ship ignites its
[4:23] engines while still attached to Super
[4:25] Heavy. During the sequence, small sparks
[4:28] or thermal blasts may have damaged part
[4:30] of the skirt structure. Fortunately, it
[4:33] appears to have been relatively minor.
[4:34] The bigger concern remains the engines.
[4:36] And right now, fixing them is absolutely
[4:39] critical for SpaceX because one thing
[4:41] seems very clear. SpaceX probably
[4:43] doesn't want to bring back the old heat
[4:45] shield design. Doing so would almost
[4:48] feel like admitting defeat. The entire
[4:50] philosophy behind Raptor 3 is
[4:52] simplification and integration. Reding
[4:54] bulky shielding would partially reverse
[4:56] that progress. Readdding bulky shielding
[4:59] would partially reverse that progress.
[5:01] So instead, SpaceX will likely search
[5:03] for smarter solutions. One possibility
[5:05] involves upgrading the engine materials
[5:07] themselves. Certain components may need
[5:09] improved heat resistance or better
[5:11] durability under extreme operating
[5:13] conditions. The challenge, however, is
[5:15] scale. SpaceX already has many Raptor
[5:18] engines manufactured. If a major
[5:20] material flaw exists, replacing
[5:22] everything would become massively
[5:23] expensive and timeconuming. So any
[5:26] material improvements may primarily
[5:28] apply to future production runs. For
[5:30] existing engines, SpaceX may instead
[5:32] focus on external reinforcement methods.
[5:35] That could include specialized coatings
[5:36] or heat resistant paints designed to
[5:39] improve thermal protection without
[5:41] significantly increasing mass. It sounds
[5:43] simple, but advanced aerospace coatings
[5:45] can make a huge difference. SpaceX may
[5:48] also prioritize improvements to the
[5:49] cooling systems. More efficient thermal
[5:51] management could reduce overheating and
[5:53] better protect vulnerable engine
[5:55] sections during ascent. Another critical
[5:57] area involves fire detection and
[5:59] suppression. Future systems may become
[6:01] more responsive and capable of
[6:03] identifying early warning signs before
[6:05] visible damage develops. In particular,
[6:07] the smaller pipes and plumbing sections
[6:09] likely deserve special attention. These
[6:11] tiny components are often the most
[6:13] vulnerable parts of the rocket engines.
[6:15] But despite all these issues, there's
[6:17] still a huge positive takeaway from
[6:18] Flight 12. The ship survived. Not only
[6:20] did it survive, it completed its mission
[6:23] objectives remarkably well. That
[6:24] reflects one of the smartest aspects of
[6:26] SpaceX's design philosophy. Instead of
[6:29] relying on a few giant engines, Starship
[6:32] uses many smaller ones. That means the
[6:34] vehicle can tolerate engine failure
[6:35] without catastrophic mission loss.
[6:37] Losing one engine does not automatically
[6:39] doom the spacecraft. And honestly, it's
[6:41] one of the reasons Starship remains so
[6:43] exciting despite all the explosions.
[6:45] Every test keeps revealing that the
[6:47] system itself is surprisingly resilient.
[6:49] So, the big question now is this. Can
[6:51] SpaceX fix the engine issue quickly
[6:53] enough to push Starship even further on
[6:55] the next flight? Because the company
[6:57] clearly isn't slowing down. If anything,
[6:59] they seem more aggressive than ever. And
[7:00] honestly, if you know SpaceX, you
[7:02] already know the engineers are probably
[7:04] sleeping beside laptops right now while
[7:06] someone whispers flight 13 in the
[7:08] distance like a horror movie villain.
[7:10] But engines were only part of the story.
[7:12] Overall, ship actually performed
[7:14] extremely well during flight 12. In
[7:16] fact, compared to previous flights, this
[7:19] may have been the most reassuring ship
[7:21] performance yet. One major success
[7:23] involved maintaining stability
[7:24] throughout the remainder of the mission.
[7:26] Even after losing an engine, the rest of
[7:28] the propulsion system stayed healthy.
[7:31] That stability became especially
[7:33] important during landing operations.
[7:35] SpaceX successfully performed landing
[7:37] flip maneuvers and continued testing
[7:39] dual engine landing capability. Those
[7:42] tests are essentially for future
[7:44] recovery operations and they appeared
[7:46] far more controlled this time around.
[7:49] Then came payload deployment which was
[7:51] another huge milestone. SpaceX
[7:53] successfully deployed two Starling
[7:55] satellites during this mission and those
[7:57] satellites later captured some
[7:58] absolutely stunning imagery of ship in
[8:01] space. But perhaps the biggest victory
[8:04] involved the heat shield. Before flight
[8:06] 12, thermal protection remained one of
[8:08] Starship's biggest weaknesses. With
[8:10] earlier flights showing major tile loss
[8:13] and severe re-entry damage, this time
[8:15] looked dramatically better. Splashdown
[8:17] footage revealed a far cleaner exterior
[8:20] with the massive orange oxidation
[8:22] streaks from previous flights largely
[8:24] gone. That is major progress because
[8:26] true reusability depends on surviving
[8:28] re-entry without extensive
[8:30] refurbishment. Several critical regions,
[8:32] including the aft flaps and fuel tank
[8:34] sections, also returned in notably good
[8:36] condition despite historically being
[8:38] vulnerable during descent. The upgraded
[8:41] thermal protection systems appear to be
[8:43] working, and that matters enormously for
[8:45] future reuse and landing operations. For
[8:47] the first time in a while, it generally
[8:49] feels like SpaceX is beginning to close
[8:51] the gap between experimental prototype
[8:53] and operational spacecraft. Orbital
[8:55] landings, rapid reuse, eventually
[8:58] catching and relaunching ships. Those
[9:00] goals suddenly feel far more realistic
[9:02] than they did even a year ago. Of
[9:04] course, major challenges remain. Engine
[9:06] reliability still needs improvement, and
[9:08] full operational reusability remains
[9:10] unproven. But Flight 12 demonstrated
[9:13] something critical. Starship is evolving
[9:15] rapidly, and every flight is solving
[9:18] real problems, even while discovering
[9:20] new ones, which I've got to say is
[9:22] basically the history of rocket
[9:24] development. The Aremis 3 crew has been
[9:26] finally announced. And while the
[9:28] astronauts themselves are certainly
[9:30] exciting, the bigger story may actually
[9:32] be how NASA plans to pull off the
[9:34] mission. Because Artemis 3 is shaping up
[9:37] to be one of the most complex space
[9:39] missions ever attempted, involving
[9:42] multiple rockets, multiple spacecraft,
[9:44] multiple docking, June 9th marked an
[9:46] important day for NASA. As promised, the
[9:49] agency officially revealed the astronaut
[9:52] crew selected for Aremis 3. The mission
[9:54] will be commanded by NASA astronaut
[9:57] Randu Breznik. Joining him will be NASA
[9:59] astronauts Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas
[10:02] as mission specialists while ESA
[10:04] astronaut Luca Pararmitano will serve as
[10:07] mission pilots. It's an impressive team
[10:09] and unlike Artemis 2 which is focused
[10:12] primarily on flying around the moon,
[10:13] Artemis 3 has a very different
[10:15] objective. These astronauts won't
[10:17] actually be landing on the lunar
[10:19] surface. Instead, they will help test
[10:21] and validate critical systems that
[10:23] future moon missions will depend upon.
[10:25] NASA didn't just announce the crew. The
[10:27] agency also revealed new details about
[10:30] how Artemis 3 is expected to unfold. And
[10:32] honestly, the mission architecture is
[10:34] fascinating. According to NASA, Artemis
[10:37] 3 will involve three separate launches.
[10:39] The agency described the mission as
[10:41] launching the world's most powerful
[10:43] rockets in short order. That phrase
[10:44] alone should excite space enthusiasts
[10:47] because whenever multiple super heavy
[10:49] rockets are involved in the same
[10:50] mission, things tend to get very
[10:52] interesting. The entire mission is
[10:54] expected to last roughly 2 weeks.
[10:56] However, the exact duration will depend
[10:58] on how various rendevous and docking
[11:00] operations unfold in real time. Space
[11:03] missions rarely follow a schedule down
[11:05] to the minute. Space has a habit of
[11:07] reminding everyone who's really in
[11:08] charge. The first launch will involve
[11:10] Blue Origin's lunar lander pathfinder.
[11:13] Assuming New Glenn is operational and
[11:15] ready by then, it'll likely carry the
[11:17] Pathfinder into orbit. This spacecraft
[11:19] will arrive well before the astronauts.
[11:21] The goal is to allow the lander to spend
[11:23] several weeks operating in space while
[11:25] engineers evaluate how well it survives
[11:27] and functions in the harsh orbital
[11:30] environment. Think of it as a dress
[11:31] rehearsal before the main performance,
[11:33] except the stage is orbit, and the
[11:35] audience is every space agency on Earth.
[11:38] And after the lander is already waiting
[11:40] in orbit, NASA will launch the second
[11:42] major mission. This will be Orion riding
[11:45] a top the SLS. Inside Orion will be the
[11:48] four astronauts NASA just announced.
[11:51] Once in space, Orion will rendevous and
[11:53] dock with the Blue Origin lander. The
[11:55] docking phase is expected to last about
[11:57] 2 days. During that time, the astronauts
[11:59] will conduct system checks, perform
[12:01] demonstrations, and enter the lander
[12:03] itself to evaluate crew support systems
[12:05] and operational procedures. This portion
[12:07] of the mission is particularly
[12:09] important. NASA wants to understand how
[12:11] astronauts interact with the vehicle
[12:13] long before anyone attempts an actual
[12:15] lunar landing. Finding problems in Earth
[12:17] orbit is significantly better than
[12:19] discovering them halfway to the moon.
[12:21] After those tests are complete, Orion
[12:23] will separate from the Blue Origin
[12:24] vehicle. And this is where things become
[12:26] even more interesting. Next comes the
[12:29] arrival of SpaceX. A Starship Pathfinder
[12:32] vehicle will launch and rendevous with
[12:34] Orion. The two spacecraft will dock in
[12:36] orbit. However, unlike the Blue Origin
[12:38] phase, this docking period is expected
[12:40] to last only about a day. The focus
[12:43] appears to be verifying docking
[12:44] procedures and basic spacecraft
[12:46] interactions. Once those tests are
[12:48] complete, Orion will separate once
[12:50] again. The astronauts will then return
[12:51] safely to Earth. Their mission will
[12:53] conclude with a splashdown in the
[12:55] Pacific Ocean. Recovery teams from NASA
[12:57] and the US Navy will retrieve both the
[13:00] spacecraft and its crew, and hopefully
[13:02] everyone will return home with enough
[13:04] data to keep engineers busy for years.
[13:06] NASA's latest update also reveals some
[13:09] interesting clues about the vehicles
[13:10] themselves. For example, the Blue Origin
[13:13] Pathfinder appears likely to include
[13:15] life support systems. That makes sense
[13:17] because astronauts are expected to spend
[13:19] multiple days interacting with the
[13:21] spacecraft. As a result, it probably
[13:22] contains hardware similar to what will
[13:24] eventually fly aboard the crude Blue
[13:26] Moon Mark II lander. The SpaceX vehicle
[13:28] appears to be different. Neither NASA's
[13:30] webcast nor the official update
[13:32] mentioned life support systems inside
[13:34] the Starship Pathfinder. Combined with
[13:36] the mission's one-day docking timeline,
[13:38] that suggests the vehicle may function
[13:40] primarily as a docking demonstrator. In
[13:43] other words, it may resemble a standard
[13:44] Starship more closely than a finished
[13:46] lunar lander. Its primary modifications
[13:48] could focus on docking hardware and
[13:50] missionspecific interfaces that would
[13:52] allow SpaceX to test critical systems
[13:54] without needing to complete every
[13:56] feature of the final human landing
[13:58] system version. It's a practical
[14:00] approach. Why build the entire mansion
[14:02] when all you need right now is to test
[14:03] the front door? Of course, announcing a
[14:05] mission plan is one thing. Actually
[14:07] executing it is something else entirely,
[14:09] and every organization involved still
[14:12] has a tremendous amount of work ahead.
[14:14] NASA appears to be making encouraging
[14:16] progress on SLS. Hardware is being
[14:18] transported from facilities in Utah to
[14:20] Florida. Engine testing continues and
[14:22] overall development appears more
[14:24] organized than during previous Artemis
[14:26] preparations. Part of that progress may
[14:28] reflect NASA's growing sense of urgency.
[14:30] The agency knows the schedule is tight
[14:32] and that there is very little room for
[14:34] major delays, especially if it hopes to
[14:36] maintain momentum across the broader
[14:38] Artemis program. Blue Origin faces its
[14:40] own challenges. The company has already
[14:42] revealed parts of its lander Pathfinder,
[14:45] including the docking module, but many
[14:47] critical systems remain out of public
[14:48] view. That's not unusual, as much of the
[14:51] integration work happens behind the
[14:52] scenes. Still, the clock is ticking. The
[14:55] recent new Glenn testing incident has
[14:57] added uncertainty, and repairing
[14:58] infrastructure, validating hardware, and
[15:00] resuming launches will take time. If
[15:02] Blue Origin hopes to keep Artemis
[15:04] schedules intact, progress will need to
[15:06] come quickly. Then there's SpaceX,
[15:08] perhaps the most unpredictable player in
[15:11] the entire program. Neither the Starship
[15:13] Pathfinder nor the operational lunar
[15:15] lander has been publicly unveiled. Based
[15:17] on NASA's plans, they appear to be
[15:19] separate vehicles with the Pathfinder
[15:21] focused on testing and the final lander
[15:23] carrying life support systems and other
[15:25] missionritical hardware. Given SpaceX's
[15:28] development pace, both could appear
[15:29] within the next year. But predicting
[15:31] Starship timelines remains one of
[15:33] aerospace's most dangerous hobbies. Some
[15:35] people collect stamps, space enthusiasts
[15:38] collect revised Starship schedules, and
[15:40] the collection keeps growing.
[15:42] Regardless, NASA's latest announcement
[15:44] offers the clearest picture yet of how
[15:46] Artemis 3 is expected to work. The
[15:48] architecture is incredibly ambitious,
[15:50] requiring multiple companies, spacecraft
[15:53] launches, and an extraordinary amount of
[15:55] coordination. If successful, it'll
[15:57] demonstrate capabilities humanity has
[15:59] never attempted before. And the next
[16:01] year could become one of the most
[16:02] important periods in Artemis history. Do
[16:05] you think NASA can successfully pull off
[16:07] this three rocket Artemis 3
[16:08] architecture? Let me know with Go 3 in
[16:10] the comment section down below. And now,
[16:12] let's turn to our final part of today's
[16:15] news. Amazon and Project Kyper, which
[16:18] recently received an important FCC
[16:20] decision that offers more flexibility,
[16:22] but also comes with new pressure. In
[16:25] simple terms, Amazon no longer faces the
[16:28] immediate July 30th deadline that would
[16:30] have required half of its 3,232
[16:33] planned satellites to be operational.
[16:35] That sounds like a major victory, and in
[16:37] many ways it is. But the situation is
[16:39] more complicated. When the FCC granted
[16:41] the waiver on June 5th, Amazon had
[16:43] launched only 331 satellites, just over
[16:46] 10% of its first generation
[16:48] constellation. The company argued that
[16:50] launch availability, not satellite
[16:52] production, have become the primary
[16:54] bottleneck. Amazon has invested billions
[16:56] in launch contracts and built large
[16:58] numbers of satellites. The challenge has
[17:01] been finding enough rockets to get them
[17:03] into orbit. Amazon still expects to
[17:05] complete deployment by July of 2029, and
[17:08] that deadline remains unchanged. The
[17:10] company says recent delays among its
[17:12] launch providers will not prevent it
[17:13] from meeting the requirement. Those
[17:15] providers include Aryan 6, ULA, Blue
[17:18] Origin, and even SpaceX. I know the
[17:22] irony is quite hard to miss. One of
[17:24] SpaceX's biggest competitors may
[17:27] ultimately need SpaceX's help to deploy
[17:29] its own satellite network. As FCC Space
[17:32] Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz stated, "We
[17:34] find that Amazon LEO has demonstrated
[17:36] special circumstances warranting
[17:38] deviation from the milestone rules." The
[17:40] FCC also emphasized the importance of
[17:43] maintaining competition in the satellite
[17:44] broadband market, whereas Starling
[17:46] currently holds a commanding lead. More
[17:49] competition typically means lower
[17:50] prices, better service, and faster
[17:52] innovation. Amazon did not receive a
[17:54] free pass, however, until at least half
[17:57] of the constellation becomes
[17:58] operational. Newly launched satellites
[18:00] will lose certain priority spectrum
[18:02] protections. That penalty could remain
[18:04] in place until March of 2028, though
[18:07] Amazon may shorten that period by
[18:08] demonstrating faster progress. In other
[18:10] words, the FCC has effectively told
[18:12] Amazon, "We'll give you more time, but
[18:14] we'd like to see some hustle." The
[18:16] decision also increases pressure on
[18:18] Amazon's launch partners. Aryan 6 must
[18:21] raise its launch cadence. Vulcan must
[18:22] enter regular service. Blue Origin must
[18:25] recover from recent setbacks. And if
[18:27] those providers cannot deliver enough
[18:29] capacity, Amazon may need to purchase
[18:31] additional launches from SpaceX.
[18:33] Somewhere, a team of corporate
[18:35] strategists is probably looking at
[18:37] spreadsheets and feeling very
[18:38] conflicted. Because nothing says
[18:40] competitive marketplace quite like
[18:42] paying your biggest rival to help
[18:44] execute your business plan. More
[18:45] broadly, the situation highlights how
[18:47] quickly the space industry is evolving.
[18:49] And Amazon is working to build a serious
[18:51] challenger to Starlink. The result is an
[18:54] industry that is becoming more
[18:55] competitive, more interconnected, and
[18:57] increasingly dependent on partnerships
[18:59] between companies that are also fierce
[19:01] rivals. It's a fascinating moment in
[19:03] aerospace, and the pace of change shows
[19:05] no signs of slowing down. And could
[19:08] Amazon eventually become a serious
[19:09] challenger to Starlink, or is SpaceX
[19:11] already too far ahead? Leave your
[19:13] thoughts in the comments below. I read
[19:15] as many of them as I can, and some of
[19:17] the best discussions on this channel
[19:19] happen down there. That brings us to the
[19:21] end of today's episode. Thank you so
[19:22] much for tuning in. As always, this has
[19:24] been Kevin from Great SpaceX.