Lunar Citizen's banner
Lunar Citizen's profile picture

Lunar Citizen

@LunarCitizens • 4,934 subscribers

Space · Humanity’s Future

Shorts

Same planet. Same moment. 2026. Africa has received more than $2.6 trillion in foreign aid since 1960.

Same planet. Same moment. 2026. Africa has received more than $2.6 trillion in foreign aid since 1960.

1,109,839 views

Space is brutal. This is JWST’s mirror,and every new scar is a micrometeoroid impact.

Space is brutal. This is JWST’s mirror,and every new scar is a micrometeoroid impact.

409,438 views

India has 1.46 billion people, and it is the world’s largest democracy, with one of the world’s biggest private-sector economies. Yet since 2020, India has launched only about 30 orbital rockets. China has launched about 455. Both are developing countries. India’s heaviest operational rocket can lift 8 tonnes to LEO. China’s can lift 25 tonnes. America is far ahead of both. It is hard to build new things when Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance controls so much of India’s oil, telecom, retail and media infrastructure. In a market dominated by a few conglomerates, startups do not get much room to grow. An Indian SpaceX is exactly the kind of company that would threaten the gatekeepers. India has no shortage of talented people. But many of its best engineers build America’s companies instead of India’s. That says a lot.

India has 1.46 billion people, and it is the world’s largest democracy, with one of the world’s biggest private-sector economies. Yet since 2020, India has launched only about 30 orbital rockets. China has launched about 455. Both are developing countries. India’s heaviest operational rocket can lift 8 tonnes to LEO. China’s can lift 25 tonnes. America is far ahead of both. It is hard to build new things when Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance controls so much of India’s oil, telecom, retail and media infrastructure. In a market dominated by a few conglomerates, startups do not get much room to grow. An Indian SpaceX is exactly the kind of company that would threaten the gatekeepers. India has no shortage of talented people. But many of its best engineers build America’s companies instead of India’s. That says a lot.

122,271 views

Time to post this. ZaxtR

Time to post this. ZaxtR

2,494,027 views

This is crazy. Starship Flight 14 just deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, 52 tonnes total. At around $110M per launch, that is about $2.1M per tonne. A Falcon 9 at $30M carrying 15 tonnes is about $2M per tonne. So even as a fully expendable rocket, Starship is already basically in Falcon 9 cost-per-ton territory. And Falcon 9 is already the most competitive rocket in the world today.

This is crazy. Starship Flight 14 just deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, 52 tonnes total. At around $110M per launch, that is about $2.1M per tonne. A Falcon 9 at $30M carrying 15 tonnes is about $2M per tonne. So even as a fully expendable rocket, Starship is already basically in Falcon 9 cost-per-ton territory. And Falcon 9 is already the most competitive rocket in the world today.

429,688 views

Starship’s PEZ dispenser, likely the largest and most space-efficient satellite deployment system ever flown. Each Starlink V3 is estimated to weigh around 2 tonnes. It deployed 26 in about 30 minutes, and future Starships could carry up to 60. If any company wants to build a constellation that can compete with Starlink, its satellites should be designed around a deployment system like this from day one.

Starship’s PEZ dispenser, likely the largest and most space-efficient satellite deployment system ever flown. Each Starlink V3 is estimated to weigh around 2 tonnes. It deployed 26 in about 30 minutes, and future Starships could carry up to 60. If any company wants to build a constellation that can compete with Starlink, its satellites should be designed around a deployment system like this from day one.

64,436 views

I think we all underestimated Booster 21. I lined up NSF’s splashdown footage with Booster 14’s catch from Flight 7. The attitude is almost exactly the same. That was a perfect splashdown. If Mechazilla had been there, I’d say it had a very good shot at getting caught. SpaceX hit the FTS and blew it up, probably because nobody wanted the recovery team dealing with another Ship 40 situation.

I think we all underestimated Booster 21. I lined up NSF’s splashdown footage with Booster 14’s catch from Flight 7. The attitude is almost exactly the same. That was a perfect splashdown. If Mechazilla had been there, I’d say it had a very good shot at getting caught. SpaceX hit the FTS and blew it up, probably because nobody wanted the recovery team dealing with another Ship 40 situation.

221,478 views

Starlink laser terminals. Imagine this thing locking onto a target the size of a dinner plate, 4,000 km away, while both ends are moving at orbital speed.

Starlink laser terminals. Imagine this thing locking onto a target the size of a dinner plate, 4,000 km away, while both ends are moving at orbital speed.

318,855 views

What an incredible view!

What an incredible view!

219,439 views

Terafab construction progress, seen in satellite imagery from day one to today.

Terafab construction progress, seen in satellite imagery from day one to today.

69,878 views

Booster 21 and Ship 41 both nailed their splashdowns on Flight 14. So Elon, don’t break your promise. Flight 15 is supposed to attempt to catch Ship 42 with Mechazilla. The very provisional FAA schedule currently says no earlier than October 19.

Booster 21 and Ship 41 both nailed their splashdowns on Flight 14. So Elon, don’t break your promise. Flight 15 is supposed to attempt to catch Ship 42 with Mechazilla. The very provisional FAA schedule currently says no earlier than October 19.

26,518 views

According to Elon, Starship will evolve to V4, with 9 Raptor engines on the upper stage. It’s expected to stand around 140m tall, 16m taller . And look at the timeline: SpaceX plans to begin testing orbital compute satellites in 2027, scale deployment in 2028, and build out the constellation in 2029, exactly when Starbase Louisiana starts to matter. Starship V4 will begin flight testing in 2027, alongside the first orbital compute satellites.

According to Elon, Starship will evolve to V4, with 9 Raptor engines on the upper stage. It’s expected to stand around 140m tall, 16m taller . And look at the timeline: SpaceX plans to begin testing orbital compute satellites in 2027, scale deployment in 2028, and build out the constellation in 2029, exactly when Starbase Louisiana starts to matter. Starship V4 will begin flight testing in 2027, alongside the first orbital compute satellites.

61,251 views

Falcon 9 achieved its first successful booster recovery in 2015. Zhuque-3, 2026. So far, the U.S. has four rockets with successful recovery, China has two, and every other country has zero. Elon was a prophet.

Falcon 9 achieved its first successful booster recovery in 2015. Zhuque-3, 2026. So far, the U.S. has four rockets with successful recovery, China has two, and every other country has zero. Elon was a prophet.

70,659 views

Long March 10B: ~750 tons Falcon 9: ~549 tons Falcon 9 lands with legs. Long March 10B tries to recover its booster with a complex sea-based net system. Why they make recovery so complicated? #falcon9 #SpaceX

Long March 10B: ~750 tons Falcon 9: ~549 tons Falcon 9 lands with legs. Long March 10B tries to recover its booster with a complex sea-based net system. Why they make recovery so complicated? #falcon9 #SpaceX

79,374 views

SpaceX is telling you that Ship 41’s single-engine static fire is a test for the deorbit burn. In fact, every time a Ship returns to Earth, it performs an engine deorbit burn before atmospheric reentry.😂😂😂

SpaceX is telling you that Ship 41’s single-engine static fire is a test for the deorbit burn. In fact, every time a Ship returns to Earth, it performs an engine deorbit burn before atmospheric reentry.😂😂😂

24,087 views

If Ship 41 makes it to LEO on Starship Flight 14, it’ll come back in at around 7.8 km/s. Ship 40 came back on Flight 13 at about 7.67 km/s, less than 2% slower. Ship 40 already made it through that near-orbital reentry and splashed down intact. Ship 41’s heat shield should be fine.

If Ship 41 makes it to LEO on Starship Flight 14, it’ll come back in at around 7.8 km/s. Ship 40 came back on Flight 13 at about 7.67 km/s, less than 2% slower. Ship 40 already made it through that near-orbital reentry and splashed down intact. Ship 41’s heat shield should be fine.

18,954 views

Vessel Forte and Ship 40 are getting acquainted out at sea before their perfect mating later.

Vessel Forte and Ship 40 are getting acquainted out at sea before their perfect mating later.

20,696 views

The Space Shuttle’s SRBs splashed down, were recovered from the ocean, refurbished, and reused. If Starship can already survive an ocean splashdown largely intact, why not use the same basic idea as an interim recovery method? Recover it. Tow it back. Inspect it. Fly it again.

The Space Shuttle’s SRBs splashed down, were recovered from the ocean, refurbished, and reused. If Starship can already survive an ocean splashdown largely intact, why not use the same basic idea as an interim recovery method? Recover it. Tow it back. Inspect it. Fly it again.

13,712 views

How many flights until Starship is fully reusable? Maybe just one: Flight 15. V2: Booster issues on Flights 2–3. Successful splashdown on Flight 4. First catch on Flight 5. V3: Two booster engine issues so far. If Flight 14 nails the booster splashdown and catches Ship as planned, Flight 15 could catch both the Ship and Booster. That would mark the beginning of humanity’s multi-planetary era. 🚀🔥

How many flights until Starship is fully reusable? Maybe just one: Flight 15. V2: Booster issues on Flights 2–3. Successful splashdown on Flight 4. First catch on Flight 5. V3: Two booster engine issues so far. If Flight 14 nails the booster splashdown and catches Ship as planned, Flight 15 could catch both the Ship and Booster. That would mark the beginning of humanity’s multi-planetary era. 🚀🔥

25,894 views

Still trying to understand how Booster 20 passed its static fire, yet four engines failed to ignite during the launch attempt. Why doesn’t SpaceX stack the vehicle at the launch site immediately after a successful booster static fire and proceed directly into launch preparations? #starship #SpaceX

Still trying to understand how Booster 20 passed its static fire, yet four engines failed to ignite during the launch attempt. Why doesn’t SpaceX stack the vehicle at the launch site immediately after a successful booster static fire and proceed directly into launch preparations? #starship #SpaceX

24,420 views

Videos

LIVE
1.2k

Anya Rossi

sweetdream.ai

SweetDream.aiSponsored•Livecam
Streaming Now

Watch Anya Live

Anya is streaming live right now! Join her private show and enjoy exclusive content.

HD live stream
Exclusive private shows
1.2k viewers online

Free preview available • Premium content

Raptor 3 is insane. Seriously. I compared the first two minutes of Flight 14 and Flight 1. Even after losing an engine, Flight 14 was doing 4,865 km/h at T+2, 40% faster than Flight 1’s 3,457 km/h. Get it flying, learn fast, then keep making it better.
2:12
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Raptor 3 is insane. Seriously. I compared the first two minutes of Flight 14 and Flight 1. Even after losing an engine, Flight 14 was doing 4,865 km/h at T+2, 40% faster than Flight 1’s 3,457 km/h. Get it flying, learn fast, then keep making it better.

Lunar Citizen

205,383 views • 13 days ago

An unbelievable animation: JWST aligns 18 mirror segments until 18 star images become one sharp point of light.
0:28
LunarCitizens's profile picture

An unbelievable animation: JWST aligns 18 mirror segments until 18 star images become one sharp point of light.

Lunar Citizen

376,967 views • 1 month ago

Starship Flight 12 vs. Flight 13 liftoff—perfectly synchronized!
0:26
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Starship Flight 12 vs. Flight 13 liftoff—perfectly synchronized!

Lunar Citizen

287,861 views • 2 months ago

All three Starship V3 flights, synced for the first two minutes. At T+1:15, when Booster 21 lost an engine, Flights 13 and 14 were going the same speed, about 20% faster than Flight 12. By T+2:00, Flight 14 was still keeping up with Flight 13, even with one engine down. How much more does Raptor 3 have in it? I have no idea.
2:05
LunarCitizens's profile picture

All three Starship V3 flights, synced for the first two minutes. At T+1:15, when Booster 21 lost an engine, Flights 13 and 14 were going the same speed, about 20% faster than Flight 12. By T+2:00, Flight 14 was still keeping up with Flight 13, even with one engine down. How much more does Raptor 3 have in it? I have no idea.

Lunar Citizen

27,725 views • 9 days ago

Crazy fact: China has conducted 61 orbital launches so far in 2026, delivering an estimated ~145 tonnes to LEO. If Starship Flight 14 deploys 30 V3 Starlinks, it will place ~60 tonnes into LEO, roughly 41% of China’s entire 2026 LEO payload so far. If it carries 40, that about 55%. And this is still just a Starship test flight.
0:20
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Crazy fact: China has conducted 61 orbital launches so far in 2026, delivering an estimated ~145 tonnes to LEO. If Starship Flight 14 deploys 30 V3 Starlinks, it will place ~60 tonnes into LEO, roughly 41% of China’s entire 2026 LEO payload so far. If it carries 40, that about 55%. And this is still just a Starship test flight.

Lunar Citizen

93,956 views • 1 month ago

SpaceX has reportedly stopped accepting new commercial Falcon 9 satellite launch orders beyond 2028, signaling a full transition to Starship. The reason is straightforward. Starship can deliver 100+ metric tons to LEO—about 4.4× the payload of Falcon 9—while its estimated launch cost today is only around 1.2× Falcon 9’s advertised commercial price. As full reusability matures, that cost is expected to fall even further.
0:28
LunarCitizens's profile picture

SpaceX has reportedly stopped accepting new commercial Falcon 9 satellite launch orders beyond 2028, signaling a full transition to Starship. The reason is straightforward. Starship can deliver 100+ metric tons to LEO—about 4.4× the payload of Falcon 9—while its estimated launch cost today is only around 1.2× Falcon 9’s advertised commercial price. As full reusability matures, that cost is expected to fall even further.

Lunar Citizen

155,035 views • 2 months ago

A wild fact: Even if Starship’s Ship is never reused and only the Booster is recovered, Starship could still achieve an estimated $350k–550k per ton to LEO. Falcon 9 is roughly $4.2M per ton at its listed price. That means Starship could already be 8–12× cheaper per ton than Falcon 9. And Falcon 9 is already the world’s most economical rocket. 🚀 #starship
1:15
LunarCitizens's profile picture

A wild fact: Even if Starship’s Ship is never reused and only the Booster is recovered, Starship could still achieve an estimated $350k–550k per ton to LEO. Falcon 9 is roughly $4.2M per ton at its listed price. That means Starship could already be 8–12× cheaper per ton than Falcon 9. And Falcon 9 is already the world’s most economical rocket. 🚀 #starship

Lunar Citizen

112,152 views • 2 months ago

When the EU sees Starship and Zhuque-3 landing their boosters:
0:43
LunarCitizens's profile picture

When the EU sees Starship and Zhuque-3 landing their boosters:

Lunar Citizen

77,950 views • 1 month ago

Texas Starbase may remain an R&D and manufacturing site, not Starship’s high-cadence launch port. FAA’s current environmental limits: Texas gets 25 launches/year across 2 pads; Florida LC-39A gets 44 from 1. That leaves Texas at ~12.5 per pad if split evenly, roughly one quarter of LC-39A. Texas is constrained by a tighter safety/environmental envelope. That’s why SpaceX plans to build Starships in Texas and ship them to Louisiana for launch. Louisiana’s far larger footprint means more safety buffer, wider pad spacing, and room for industrial cadence. Wait for FAA approval, the launch number could be insane.
0:41
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Texas Starbase may remain an R&D and manufacturing site, not Starship’s high-cadence launch port. FAA’s current environmental limits: Texas gets 25 launches/year across 2 pads; Florida LC-39A gets 44 from 1. That leaves Texas at ~12.5 per pad if split evenly, roughly one quarter of LC-39A. Texas is constrained by a tighter safety/environmental envelope. That’s why SpaceX plans to build Starships in Texas and ship them to Louisiana for launch. Louisiana’s far larger footprint means more safety buffer, wider pad spacing, and room for industrial cadence. Wait for FAA approval, the launch number could be insane.

Lunar Citizen

42,443 views • 1 month ago

Falcon 9 gains about 4–5 tons of payload by landing on a droneship instead of returning to the launch site, roughly a 30% boost. If Starship’s Super Heavy booster also moves to offshore recovery, it could theoretically unlock another 15–20 tons of payload. That’s basically an entire Falcon 9’s payload. My guess? SpaceX will seriously consider dedicated offshore recovery platforms sooner rather than later. 🚀
0:44
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Falcon 9 gains about 4–5 tons of payload by landing on a droneship instead of returning to the launch site, roughly a 30% boost. If Starship’s Super Heavy booster also moves to offshore recovery, it could theoretically unlock another 15–20 tons of payload. That’s basically an entire Falcon 9’s payload. My guess? SpaceX will seriously consider dedicated offshore recovery platforms sooner rather than later. 🚀

Lunar Citizen

40,126 views • 1 month ago

Western civilization rises again from the StarGulf Triangle. 🚀
0:28
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Western civilization rises again from the StarGulf Triangle. 🚀

Lunar Citizen

34,724 views • 1 month ago

Starship 13 is fully stacked and ready for launch. One thing I’m pretty sure about: there’s probably a bunch of SpaceX’s resident goofballs bouncing around on top of the launch tower. 🚀 #starship
0:21
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Starship 13 is fully stacked and ready for launch. One thing I’m pretty sure about: there’s probably a bunch of SpaceX’s resident goofballs bouncing around on top of the launch tower. 🚀 #starship

Lunar Citizen

52,902 views • 3 months ago

Which one will become operational first, Starbase Louisiana or California High-Speed Rail?
0:32
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Which one will become operational first, Starbase Louisiana or California High-Speed Rail?

Lunar Citizen

27,018 views • 1 month ago

All of this is happening in America.
0:28
LunarCitizens's profile picture

All of this is happening in America.

Lunar Citizen

25,670 views • 1 month ago

Congrats to Isar Aerospace. U.S. and Chinese commercial launch companies are working on bringing rockets back from orbit to the ground. Europe is still working on getting rockets from the ground to orbit,even with just a one-ton payload.🤪
0:20
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Congrats to Isar Aerospace. U.S. and Chinese commercial launch companies are working on bringing rockets back from orbit to the ground. Europe is still working on getting rockets from the ground to orbit,even with just a one-ton payload.🤪

Lunar Citizen

22,354 views • 1 month ago

Starship may need around 40,000 tiny heat-shield tiles. Why doesn’t SpaceX simply mold the heat shield into much larger integrated sections,or even one continuous shell? It could save enormous installation time and reduce the risk of individual tiles falling off. #starship #spacex
1:21
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Starship may need around 40,000 tiny heat-shield tiles. Why doesn’t SpaceX simply mold the heat shield into much larger integrated sections,or even one continuous shell? It could save enormous installation time and reduce the risk of individual tiles falling off. #starship #spacex

Lunar Citizen

48,423 views • 3 months ago

Starlink V2 satellites have 3 laser terminals. V3 will have 6. Future AI1 compute satellites could plug into that same network, linking with Starlink through lasers and turning Starlink + Starmind into one giant orbital system. If the constellation gets dense enough, it could look like a Dyson sphere slowly forming around Earth.
0:40
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Starlink V2 satellites have 3 laser terminals. V3 will have 6. Future AI1 compute satellites could plug into that same network, linking with Starlink through lasers and turning Starlink + Starmind into one giant orbital system. If the constellation gets dense enough, it could look like a Dyson sphere slowly forming around Earth.

Lunar Citizen

13,503 views • 22 days ago

Ship 40 passing the Cape of Good Hope, filmed by Willie Koorts on September 15. This may be the only time a Starship ever passes by Elon’s birthplace. Source:
1:32
LunarCitizens's profile picture

Ship 40 passing the Cape of Good Hope, filmed by Willie Koorts on September 15. This may be the only time a Starship ever passes by Elon’s birthplace. Source:

Lunar Citizen

15,515 views • 27 days ago

I just spotted something interesting: at T+39:00, one sea-level Raptor 3 on Ship 40 lit up for about 17 seconds during descent, but the vehicle’s attitude didn’t change at all. Why? #starship
0:44
LunarCitizens's profile picture

I just spotted something interesting: at T+39:00, one sea-level Raptor 3 on Ship 40 lit up for about 17 seconds during descent, but the vehicle’s attitude didn’t change at all. Why? #starship

Lunar Citizen

32,126 views • 2 months ago

New Glenn’s explosion reportedly destroyed its launch pad. No rocket company wants that. If a Starship explodes during tower catch, rebuilding the pad could take a long time and delay launches. Why doesn’t SpaceX build a separate catch tower and keep recovery independent from the launch pad? #starship #blueorgin #newglenn
0:21
LunarCitizens's profile picture

New Glenn’s explosion reportedly destroyed its launch pad. No rocket company wants that. If a Starship explodes during tower catch, rebuilding the pad could take a long time and delay launches. Why doesn’t SpaceX build a separate catch tower and keep recovery independent from the launch pad? #starship #blueorgin #newglenn

Lunar Citizen

32,588 views • 3 months ago