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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

Time to post this. ZaxtR

Time to post this. ZaxtR

2,494,027 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

What an incredible view!

What an incredible view!

219,439 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

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 次观看

Videos