Sonic Boom Tests and Seal Kidnapping: Elon Musk Reveals How SpaceX Was Forced to Overcome Regulatory Hurdles
Key Highlights :
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently sat down with Lex Fridman on the Lex Fridman podcast to discuss the hardships he has faced while launching Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket. According to Musk, the main thing causing launch delays is not the rocket itself, but regulatory bodies and organizations that are preventing the rocket launch through investigations into various aspects of safety.
One of the most unexpected investigations that SpaceX had to face was from an organization that was concerned about the impact of sonic booms from Starship’s launch on seal procreation near the Vandenberg launch site. To prove that the sonic booms would not be a problem, SpaceX was forced into a rather unusual solution. Musk explained that SpaceX was forced to kidnap a seal, strap it to a wooden board, and then place headphones on it that were playing sonic boom sounds. The idea behind this test was to see if the seal would become distressed, and according to Musk, the seal remained content. Musk even went on to say, “I have pictures”, and then said the test was actually carried out twice.
This story is a great example of the lengths that SpaceX has to go to in order to get approval from regulatory bodies and organizations. Another example is an organization that was concerned with the likelihood of Starship hitting a whale in international waters. If you are interested in learning more about that story, check out the above video of Musk explaining it.
It is clear that Musk and SpaceX have had to overcome many regulatory hurdles in order to launch Starship, and Musk has done a great job of navigating the complex web of regulations. It is no wonder that Starship has become such a success, and it is a testament to Musk’s ingenuity and determination.
