Episode 1503: Of Spaceplanes and Starships

In this installment, we welcome Larry Herrin, a former 10-year-old Apollo astronaut, as the newest pundit on the Talking Space podcasting team. We forgot to mention in the show that Larry is also Mark Ratterman’s cousin!

As his inaugural contribution, Larry tells us about a relatively new, reusable, rocket-powered spaceplane designed and built by New Zealand-based Dawn Aerospace. You can find out more at Dawn Aerospace’s website.       

Then Gene, Mark, and Larry take on the story of the week: The first launch of the SpaceX Starship on the morning of April 20. The team discusses the launch itself, the ramifications of the launch (citing “The Next 30 Trips” blog and the" ESG Hound " blog ), the fallout from residents, the mishap investigation which has grounded the Starship program, and what may happen in the months ahead.

NOTE: Since this recording, several conservation groups have brought legal action against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for granting the Starship launch license to SpaceX. This will be a story we will be following.   

Let us know what you think of our new “flexible” format and your thoughts on this week’s show. You can always reach us at [email protected] .

Show recorded 4-30-2023.

Host: Mark Ratterman

Panelists: Gene Mikulka, Larry Herrin

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison will be back.