In an interview, Mr. Zurbuchen shares his excitement about the successful recovery of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, highlighting its potential to revolutionize space travel by drastically reducing launch costs. He explains that the fully reusable Starship could lower expenses to $100-$200 per kilogram, making space access more feasible. With ambitious plans for Mars colonization and the Artemis lunar missions, the Starship could transform industries, enable new technologies, and pose challenges, such as space debris and environmental effects.
Mr. Zurbuchen, how did you feel witnessing the successful recovery of the Starship rocket by its launch tower?
I believed I was witnessing a pivotal moment in space history. Having followed all the Starship launches, seeing that booster recovered was simply astonishing. Achieving that milestone was something I had not anticipated happening so soon.
There’s a lot of talk about the Starship transforming space travel. What makes it so important?
Back in the 1990s, launching a single kilogram of cargo into space cost around $55,000, so missions were only undertaken when absolutely necessary. The Starship, designed to be fully reusable and mass-producible, aims to drastically lower costs to around $100 to $200 per kilogram. This could open the door to more frequent spaceflights for anyone interested.
While reusable rockets exist, how does the Starship differ?
The cost of sending materials to space has decreased to about $1,500 per kilogram with SpaceX’s Falcon rockets. However, the Falcon’s upper stage is discarded after each flight. In contrast, the Starship’s upper stage is intended for reuse, and its capacity is nearly ten times greater, allowing it to carry substantially more cargo. Additionally, the Starship is designed for deeper space exploration, especially for missions to Mars.
Musk envisions building at least a thousand Starships to facilitate the colonization of Mars. Is this a feasible goal?
Anyone who has underestimated Musk in his space ventures has been proven wrong. While I would say that the goal is undeniably ambitious, the possibility of success is certainly there.
It seems you believe in his vision.
During my time at NASA, I engaged in many discussions with Musk. For instance, there’s the “Mars Sample Return” mission, which aims to retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover. I once joked with Musk about just providing him the coordinates to retrieve the samples, which would be cheaper than launching another mission.
Nasa is planning to land astronauts on the moon again with the Artemis missions in the coming years. What role does the Starship play in this effort?
Nasa made the decision two years ago to utilize the Starship for the Artemis missions because it can transport significant payloads to the moon. The Apollo missions demonstrated what could be carried with direct flights—roughly the size of a car. In contrast, the Starship can potentially bring an entire research facility or a small parking garage.
Could the Starship facilitate the establishment of a permanent lunar base? While a moon base may not be as accessible as a remote village, it could resemble today’s Antarctic research stations. Having a large transport vehicle like the Starship simplifies establishing such bases compared to using smaller aircraft.
Is there even a market for the Starship? Sending everything into space using it might not fill a rocket every week, but could lower costs create new opportunities?
Initially, the demand may seem limited, but affordable launch costs might pave the way for new markets and applications in space.
Will the Starship give rise to a whole new industry in space?
Certainly, existing space industries, like communications, will likely see an uptick because the Starship can launch a greater number of satellites economically. For example, I experienced a storm in Florida where cell-to-satellite calls were activated for the first time, demonstrating the potential for expanded communication capabilities.
Could we see product manufacturing in space? For many products, it would be advantageous to produce them in a zero-gravity environment, such as lenses for eye care. The Starship not only transports materials to space but also brings them back, incentivizing companies to explore resource extraction from the moon, like helium-3 for quantum computing development.
Given the previous focus on optimizing payload sizes, will this change how we approach space missions?
Absolutely, we need to rethink our strategies. A great example of this is the James Webb telescope, which was complicated by needing to launch it with a smaller rocket, requiring it to unfold in space. A larger rocket like the Starship would have simplified the design immensely.
So the Starship could also enhance research possibilities?
Yes, it opens up a plethora of options for space telescopes aimed at searching for extraterrestrial life. However, there is a concern that the increase in satellites could obstruct astronomical observations from Earth.
If launching into space becomes significantly cheaper, will we face issues with space debris?
Space debris is indeed a significant concern. I’m particularly wary of situations like the recent explosion of a Boeing satellite, as it can create debris that proliferates rapidly with subsequent collisions.