Wow! SpaceX President Revealed Starship Flight 13 Launch Date & Beyond in Historical IPO Days…

[00:07] SpaceX is entering a pivotal period.

[00:10] Adding to the excitement, recent

[00:11] comments from SpaceX President Gwyn

[00:13] Shotwell may have provided the clearest

[00:15] indication yet of when Flight 13 could

[00:18] launch. Today on Great SpaceX, we'll

[00:21] break down the latest flight 13 updates,

[00:23] look ahead to flights 14 and 15, examine

[00:26] an unexpected issue aboard the ISS, and

[00:28] cover the successful return to flight of

[00:30] Japan's H3 rocket. Well, let's get

[00:33] started. For months, one question has

[00:35] dominated discussions throughout the

[00:37] Starship community. When is flight 13?

[00:40] Ever since flight 12 exceeded

[00:42] expectations, speculation has been

[00:44] everywhere. Some predicted June, others

[00:47] predicted July. A few particularly

[00:50] optimistic fans probably predicted next

[00:52] Tuesday. Now we finally have a direct

[00:55] answer from someone who would know.

[00:57] During a recent CNBC interview, SpaceX

[01:00] President Gwen Shotwell offered the

[01:02] clearest indication yet regarding

[01:04] Starship's next launch timeline.

[01:06] >> I think we're so what is it? Beginning

[01:08] of June, maybe a monthish away from

[01:11] flight 13.

[01:12] >> Okay. And then we should fly every

[01:14] month. Most importantly, that statement

[01:16] points strongly toward a July launch.

[01:20] And honestly, that makes perfect sense.

[01:22] S40 and B20 are still progressing

[01:26] through testing with static fires,

[01:27] inspections, engine evaluations, and wet

[01:30] dress rehearsals remaining on the

[01:32] schedule before launch. A June launch

[01:34] always seemed unlikely. July has long

[01:37] been the more realistic target, but the

[01:40] bigger story may not be Flight 13

[01:42] itself. It's what comes afterward. A

[01:44] July launch could restore a roughly

[01:46] twomonth flight cadence while

[01:48] potentially opening the door to

[01:50] something much more ambitious, which is

[01:53] monthly Starship launches. That pace

[01:55] would dramatically accelerate

[01:57] development by generating new data,

[01:59] testing new systems, and moving SpaceX

[02:01] closer to the capabilities required for

[02:03] Aremis and Mars. And the schedule ahead

[02:06] is demanding. Starship still needs to

[02:08] achieve orbital flight, payload

[02:10] deployment, full reusability, orbital

[02:13] refueling, and eventually lunar

[02:15] operations. Monthly launches would help

[02:17] SpaceX work through that checklist far

[02:20] more quickly. Of course, none of this

[02:22] will be easy, as everything depends on

[02:24] successful flights, reliable hardware,

[02:26] and maintaining a steady production

[02:28] pipeline. Rocket development has a

[02:30] remarkable ability to humble ambitious

[02:32] schedules. Still, if any company has

[02:35] demonstrated an ability to iterate

[02:37] quickly, it's SpaceX. So, what exactly

[02:40] will Flight 13 attempt to accomplish?

[02:42] Many fans are hoping it will become

[02:44] Starship's first true orbital mission.

[02:47] But Shotwell suggested a more cautious

[02:50] approach. We have done an inspace um

[02:53] Raptor lighting so we feel pretty

[02:55] comfortable but we want another

[02:57] suborbital shot on the next flight and

[03:00] then I hope we at least attempt an

[03:02] orbital uh injection on flight 14.

[03:05] >> That statement reveals quite a bit.

[03:07] Flight 13 will likely remain a

[03:09] suborbital mission. Rather than rushing

[03:11] directly toward orbit, SpaceX appears

[03:13] focused on further validating the V3

[03:16] design, and that's probably the right

[03:18] decision. Flight 12 was successful, but

[03:20] it wasn't flawless. Several Raptor

[03:22] vacuum engines experienced issues, and

[03:25] engine reliability remains one of the

[03:27] program's highest priorities. As a

[03:29] result, Fly 13 will likely serve as

[03:31] another major validation mission focused

[03:33] on engine performance, thermal

[03:35] protection evaluations, and broader

[03:37] system analysis. If the mission performs

[03:40] well, Flight 14 could become Starship's

[03:42] first serious attempt at orbital

[03:44] insertion, potentially later this

[03:46] summer. And once Starship reaches orbit,

[03:48] everything changes. Payload deployment,

[03:50] extended orbital operations, advanced

[03:53] re-entry testing, and eventually orbital

[03:55] refueling all become possible. Every one

[03:58] of those milestones is essential to

[04:01] future missions to the moon and Mars.

[04:03] That's why SpaceX appears willing to

[04:04] move carefully now so it can move faster

[04:07] later. The strategy is straightforward.

[04:10] Build confidence, validate systems,

[04:12] reduce risk, and then push forward

[04:14] aggressively. And Shotwell wasn't

[04:16] finished. After discussing flights 13

[04:19] and 14, she dropped another intriguing

[04:22] hint.

[04:23] >> And then maybe flight 15 actually flies

[04:24] from the cave.

[04:25] >> That single sentence could have enormous

[04:27] implications because if it happens,

[04:30] Starship will officially begin launching

[04:32] from Florida, and that changes

[04:34] everything. Beyond Starship itself, June

[04:36] 12th also marked another major moment

[04:38] for SpaceX. After years of speculation,

[04:41] rumors, and enough online debates to

[04:43] power a small city, SpaceX officially

[04:45] launched its long awaited IPO. That's

[04:48] right. The company that began in a

[04:50] modest warehouse in California has now

[04:53] taken one of the biggest financial steps

[04:55] in its history. And if the reports are

[04:57] accurate, it did not simply make a

[04:59] splash. It created a title wave. The IPO

[05:03] began trading on the NASDAQ exchange,

[05:05] arriving more than a year after SpaceX

[05:07] submitted its paperwork to the US

[05:09] Securities and Exchange Commission.

[05:12] Investor demand was immediate and

[05:14] intense. SpaceX initially offered $555.6

[05:19] million shares at $135 each, targeting

[05:24] roughly $75 billion in proceeds.

[05:26] However, demand quickly pushed the price

[05:29] higher. Shares reportedly climbed to

[05:31] between $155 and $161 during early

[05:36] trading, representing an increase of

[05:38] roughly 20%. Apparently, investors saw

[05:41] rockets and collectively decided gravity

[05:43] was optional. The result was a massive

[05:46] jump in valuation and one of the most

[05:48] significant IPO events ever recorded.

[05:51] SpaceX ultimately reached a market

[05:53] capitalization exceeding$2 trillion US

[05:56] dollars according to the figures

[05:57] released during the announcement period.

[06:00] That achievement also created another

[06:02] headline. Elon Musk reportedly became

[06:04] the world's first trillionaire within

[06:06] minutes of trading activity. Whether you

[06:07] love him, hate him, or simply enjoy

[06:09] watching the internet argue about him,

[06:11] that's a number large enough to make

[06:13] everyone's calculator nervous. During

[06:15] the NASDAQ opening ceremony, Musk

[06:17] reflected on the company's journey,

[06:19] saying,

[06:20] >> "Yeah, it it is certainly uh hard to

[06:23] believe that

[06:26] a little company that started in a

[06:29] warehouse in Elsagundo um is now

[06:33] uh

[06:35] is now is now going public for the

[06:40] was the largest IPO that uh ever." I

[06:43] gave SpaceX less than a 10% chance uh of

[06:49] succeeding at all. To be clear,

[06:51] >> looking back, that statement is

[06:53] remarkable. The company that once

[06:55] struggled to survive its early launches,

[06:57] now operates the world's largest

[06:59] satellite constellation, carries

[07:01] astronauts to orbit, develops Starship,

[07:03] and pursues missions to the moon and

[07:05] Mars. Not bad for a company that once

[07:08] believed it had less than a 10% chance

[07:10] of surviving. The financial impact of an

[07:12] IPO could be enormous. Additional

[07:14] capital would give SpaceX greater

[07:16] flexibility to expand manufacturing,

[07:18] accelerate Starship development, grow

[07:20] launch infrastructure, and support

[07:22] long-term projects. Projects ranging

[07:24] from lunar missions and Mars exploration

[07:26] to Starlink expansion and advanced

[07:29] communications systems. More broadly,

[07:31] such a move could influence the entire

[07:33] aerospace industry. Other private space

[07:35] companies may see it as proof that

[07:37] strong public market demand exists for

[07:40] space focused businesses, potentially

[07:42] attracting new investment and

[07:44] accelerating innovation across the

[07:46] sector. Of course, raising capital is

[07:48] one thing. Meeting investor expectations

[07:49] is another. Public markets tend to

[07:51] reward results, not promises. Even so,

[07:54] it would represent a major milestone,

[07:56] one that highlights just how far SpaceX

[07:58] has come since its uncertain beginnings.

[08:01] Now, let's shift from billion-dollar

[08:03] stock offerings to a very different

[08:05] challenge taking place roughly 400 km

[08:08] above Earth. The International Space

[08:10] Station is dealing with another

[08:12] maintenance issue, and this time it

[08:14] involves one of the most important

[08:16] robotic systems. Most space enthusiasts

[08:19] are familiar with Canadarm 2, but for

[08:21] those who aren't, it's essentially the

[08:23] ISS's giant robotic multi-tool.

[08:26] Recently, Canadarm 2 experienced an

[08:28] unexpected problem. NASA reported that

[08:31] during routine operations on May 27th,

[08:34] one of the robotic arms wrist joints

[08:37] demonstrated unusual behavior.

[08:39] Specifically, elevated motor currents

[08:41] were detected and the arm failed to move

[08:43] as expected. In simpler terms, one of

[08:46] the station's robotic joints decided it

[08:48] no longer felt like cooperating.

[08:50] Fortunately, the arm is currently in a

[08:52] stable position. Unfortunately, repairs

[08:55] will require a spacew walk. NASA plans

[08:57] to address the issue during an EVA

[09:00] scheduled for the 30th of this month.

[09:02] According to NASA officials, the system

[09:05] demonstrated an elevated motor current

[09:07] in a wrist joint and arm motion did not

[09:10] occur as expected. After reviewing the

[09:13] issue alongside the Canadian Space

[09:15] Agency and MDA Space Engineers

[09:18] determined that replacing the affected

[09:20] joint is the best solution. Thankfully,

[09:22] the ISS already has a spare component on

[09:25] board. This is one of those moments

[09:27] where careful planning pays off. The CSA

[09:31] explained, "Canadarm 2 was designed with

[09:34] these kinds of potential issues in mind.

[09:36] It is made up of several segments that

[09:38] can be pulled out and replaced in space.

[09:40] Restoring Canadarm 2 is important

[09:42] because it plays a vital role in ISS

[09:45] operations, capturing cargo spacecraft

[09:47] that deliver supplies, experiments, and

[09:49] equipment. Most recently, it was used in

[09:52] April to capture a Northrup Grumman

[09:54] Signis cargo vehicle. What's especially

[09:56] impressive is that Canada Arm 2 arrived

[09:58] in 2001, long before routine commercial

[10:01] resupply missions existed. Despite

[10:03] operating roughly a decade beyond its

[10:05] original design life, it completed its

[10:07] 50th spacecraft capture in 2024. As the

[10:11] ISS continues dealing with aging

[10:12] hardware, leaks, and increasing

[10:14] maintenance demands, keeping critical

[10:16] systems like Canada Arm 2 operational

[10:19] remains essential as the station enters

[10:21] the final phase of its service life.

[10:23] Now, before we wrap up today's episode,

[10:26] let's head across the Pacific to Japan

[10:28] because JAXA has something to celebrate.

[10:32] After suffering a setback during a

[10:34] previous mission, Japan's H3 rocket has

[10:37] successfully returned to flight. Liftoff

[10:39] occurred on June 11th from Tanagashima

[10:42] Space Center. The mission marked the

[10:44] eighth launch of the H3 program and

[10:46] introduced a configuration featuring

[10:48] three LE engines on the first stage.

[10:51] that made this flight particularly

[10:53] important and fortunately for for JAXA

[10:56] it was a success. All six payloads were

[10:59] successfully delivered to their intended

[11:00] orbits. That's exactly the outcome

[11:03] engineers wanted to see after the

[11:04] disappointment of the previous mission.

[11:07] The last H3 flight ended unsuccessfully

[11:09] when the Mitubiki 5 satellite was lost.

[11:12] Investigators later determined that a

[11:14] damaged payload adapter contributed to

[11:17] the failure. The resulting damage

[11:18] affected the second stage and created

[11:20] engine ignition problems. After months

[11:23] of analysis and corrective work, JAXA

[11:25] returned to the launchpad, determined to

[11:27] prove the rocket's reliability. This

[11:29] mission did exactly that. According to

[11:32] JAXA, the rocket flew as planned,

[11:35] successfully placing the second stage

[11:37] into its designated orbit and separating

[11:39] petrol and Stars X approximately 16

[11:42] minutes and 4 seconds after launch. For

[11:44] Japan, this launch represents more than

[11:46] just another mission. It demonstrates

[11:48] persistence. Every space program faces

[11:51] setbacks. The key is learning from them

[11:53] and moving forward. JAXA has done that.

[11:56] That brings us to the end of today's

[11:58] episode. As always, thank you for

[11:59] watching and supporting the channel.

[12:01] Please hit that subscribe button and

[12:03] don't forget to like the video.

[12:04] Otherwise, folks, this has been Kevin

[12:06] from Great SpaceX. And until next time,

[12:08] keep looking