Where Does SpaceX Get Their Rocket Fuel?

Have you ever wondered where SpaceX gets their rocket fuel? As SpaceX continues to develop their reusable rockets, the cost of fuel will become more and more important. This video looks at how SpaceX sources and transports rocket fuel to their test site in Boca Chica for use on their Starship rocket.

References

Thanks to the following channels for their awesome footage!

Thanks for watching this Primal Space video. If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe so you can see more videos like this!

Support Primal Space by becoming a Patron!

References:

Music used in this video:

» Infinite Perspective - Kevin MacLeod
» Sunrise Drive - South London HiFi
» Double You - The Mini Vandals
» Proud - Bobby Renz
» Eureka - Huma-Huma
» Long Road Ahead B - Kevin MacLeod

Credits:

Narrated by: Beau Stucki

#SpaceX #Starship #RocketFuel

[Hygix_]

I still waiting for the 15km test flight, it's going to be a very historical moment

[srinivasiyengar]

2:45 AFAIK, there isn't enough methane in the atmosphere. They're planning on using the Sabatier process to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and create H2O and CH4 out of it

[cpu]

The small village of boca chica will become a huge premium city in the future

[MinecraftEpicPlayer]

Wind farm powering oxygen liquification: "We used the wind to capture the wind"

[burper-oetm]

There is (almost I think) no methane in the martian atmosphere, SpaceX will make methane on mars using what is called: the "Sabatier process". In this process, SpaceX will take the *CO2* in the martian atmosphere, and separate it into carbon and oxygen, and will take the water ice from mars (H2O) and separate it into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. They will take four hydrogen atoms with one carbon atom (obviously it won't be one molecule at a time), and create CH4, or methane. The leftover oxygen they can use for breathing, or for oxidizer. Using the resources you find at your destination is called: "In Situ Resource Utilization" or "ISRU". Just a small clarification about the video.

[_percent]

If you’re going through rough times, please don’t give up.
Better times are coming ❤️

[The.RandomTube]

0:35 for many rockets, fuel is the cheapest part, the hardware that goes into making these rockets is the main reason to why rockets are so damn expensive.
Edit: But the video is great man! Good job.

[holyravioli]

Damn, imagine if one of these tanks exploded.

[byronperry]

There's far too little methane in martian atmosphere, they use carbon dioxide and water in the sabatier process.

[starshipsn]

A starship launch is just expensive as the fuel needed for launch

Amaizing!!

[thefortnitecuh]

I live at Brownsville I have seen starship before it’s so cool!

[RonJohn]

5:45 IOW, they're *distilling the atmosphere.*

[jhyland]

6:30 *"Space-X could use the **_Sabatier process_** of separating oxygen from H2O"* Pretty sure the Sabatier process is for making methane... not oxygen.. The oxygen could be extracted from the H2O using electrolysis.

[dragoon]

As always very nice video. But please use metric units

[ZachsGarage]

Awesome video! really good info! I was actually just wondering about how much they pay for the fuel and how it's produced, really appreciate you explaining the process!

[clavo]

Great video! Very nicely done graphics. Keep em coming! Do one on where they get their welders. The men, not the machines.

[lnnrt]

I liked your video but can you please use only one system? For example use only metric and have the imperial conversion in a corner of the screen, OR use only imperial and have the metric conversion in the corner of the screen? You started using Metric and having an imperial conversion beneath them. But then you suddenly switched to imperial with no metric conversion. It would be nice since except for USA nobody knows how much a Gallon or a PSI is, so the numbers are meaningless.

[ExopMan]

SpaceX isn't doing any type of Mars mission alone, I'll say that.

Having a rocket big enough to get to Mars is a small step. They'll probably do test flights around the moon, have to create and rehearse a complex mid-orbit refueling...then preparing for ~6 months of transit, habitation, weather, dust, supplies, emergency plans, refueling in Mars orbit and launching off Mars...

A lot of challenges. SpaceX is not a rover or habitat company (yet) so you can imagine the outside partners and NASA involvement to pull something like this together.

[fiveoneecho]

So, the propellent created on Mars will come from water ice and CO2 in the atmosphere (CO2 is most of the atmosphere). I'm not sure where the "Methane from the atmosphere" part came from as any Methane in the atmosphere is so trace that it basically isn't there- if there is any at all. Electrolysis is the process of separating compounds into component elements by running a current through them, so that is what is used to separate water into oxygen and hydrogen. As we should all know, you can't just magically pull Hydrogen out of nowhere to synthesize Methane, so that comes from water (in the current plan. If there isn't enough water ice, we will have to ship elemental Hydrogen to Mars for this propellent synthesis). The Sabatier Reaction or Process is used to synthesize Methane from Hydrogen and CO2. You put them in a pot, crank up the heat, and apply a bunch of pressure to get Methane with water. Just wanted to clear this up for anyone interested in the actual process SpaceX is planning on using for ISRU.

[matthoward]

Holy shit. I've always wondered this!