The Race for the Next Generation of Rockets, with Jeff Thornburg

What will the future of space look like? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the engineering challenges and scientific questions shaping the next era of aerospace with aerospace engineer and CEO of Portal Space Systems, Jeff Thornburg. From the Mars missions to the development of reliable, reusable rockets, we ask: how do we build spacecraft that are fast, safe, and simple enough to transform space into a true commercial frontier? We discuss the balancing act between government funding and private investment: why do we still need public dollars to seed technologies that don’t yet have a business case? Why is “failure” embraced by startups but avoided in legacy programs? And what lessons can be learned from disasters like Hubble’s flawed mirrors or the Mars Climate Orbiter’s metric–imperial mix-up? We explore reusable rockets, the tradeoff between fuel and payload, and the art of designing systems around unknowns. We also discuss the U.S.’s international competition in space and whether we can keep up. Why should citizens care about defending satellites, and what would it mean if GPS orbits were compromised? What propulsion breakthroughs could quantum physics unlock? Could solar-thermal engines or nuclear concepts make space travel faster and more sustainable? We discuss our dreams for the space industry. Will we ever achieve suborbital flights around Earth in 45 minutes, or treat the Moon as just another backyard destination? Thanks to our Patrons Adam Jensen, Eric Forde, Jaren Foreman, Robert Collier, Ryan Sanderson, Michael Franklin, Tiffiany Amber, MSegars, Clinton Hays, Rob, Wesley Michel, Aaron Wright, Vi Rose, James Sorensen, Jamie, David, Russell Knecht (Connect), John T McCoy, Ben Ryan, Fidel Roque-Flores, Eric walburn METZLER, Joseph Strasser, Daniel Ludlow, William Sacher, William Nowottny, Jay Sackett, Bryan Poole, Trevor Walter, Chiem Ma, Robert Rice, Lex Townes, Cavvote Landes, Franny, Keith Dickson, Bill Gallerani, Rosemary Taylor, Lisa Holloway, Jim Staub, Stiven Miranda, Erica, Jon Nebenfuhr, Ranjam69, David R Dykes, Micky Pistillo, Tony Toon, sr, April Lorenzo Spoor, Tom Randall, Jeff, Nico Cerceo, Sterling GRiffin, John, Red Shi, Pete Stoppani, Jonathan Hyatt, Dylan Moore, Shawn Kalas, Eric Dickinson, Kiela Badeaux, Leyna McGrath, Armaghan, bmanone, Much More Matt, Patrick Ritter, Laszlo Zoltan Buru, Indiigo, Isaiah, Brett Sklar, Brian Pickett, Micheal Kaplan, Cecilia, PopoMakBeth, and Shawn Best for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Jeff Thornburg 03:50 - Maneuverability in Space 06:59 - Private Industry v. Government Projects 11:56 - The Challenges with Reusable Rockets 17:50 - Economics of Returning Rockets 20:37 - Engineering & The Value of Failure 28:12 - Acceptable Risk Management 31:50 - Big Space Engineering Blunders 34:14 - The Problem with the Cuts 36:30 - Running a Space Company 42:42 - History of Propulsion 47:21 - The US’s Vulnerability in LEO 53:12 - Fuel Efficiency in LEO 58:32 - What Engineers Dream About 01:02:07 - The Ultimate Goal of Commercial Space 01:03:49 - A Cosmic Perspective Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson