Skip to content
Why Starship Could Transform Astronomy episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 24, 2026 · 31 MIN

Why Starship Could Transform Astronomy

from Cool Worlds · host Cool Worlds

SpaceX's Starship rocket is nearing first orbital tests. This Super Heavy launch vehicle promises to lift enormous masses into space, and do so at far cheaper costs than the competitors. What could these capabilities do for astronomy though? Join us today as we explore the potential transformative power of Starship for astronomy.Written & presented by Prof David Kipping.→ Support our research program: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch here! https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-storeTHANK-YOU to our supporters D. Smith, M. Sloan, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, A. Jones, S. Brownlee, N. Kildal, Z. Star, E. West, T. Zajonc, C. Wolfred, L. Skov, G. Benson, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, M. Forbes, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, H. Jensen, J. Rockett, N. Fredrickson, D. Holland, E. Hanway, D. Murphree, S. Hannum, T. Donkin, K. Myers, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Black, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, K. Weber, S. Marks, L. Robinson, F. Van Exter, S. Roulier, B. Smith, P. Masterson, R. Sievers, G. Canterbury, J. Kill, J. Cassese, J. Kruger, S. Way, P. Finch, S. Applegate, L. Watson, T. Wheeler, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, E. Dessoi, J. Alexander, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, C. Hays, S. Krasner, W. Evans, D. Bansal, J. Curtin, J. Sturm, RAND Corp., I. Attard, M. Donovan, N. Corwin & M. Mangione.::References::► House Science, Space, and Technology Committee video: https://science.house.gov/hearings/keeping-our-sights-on-mars-part-3-a-status-update-and-review-of-nasas-artemis-initiative► Starship Update by SpaceX: https://youtu.be/3N7L8Xhkzqo::Music::Music licensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], or via Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), or with permission from the artist► Hill - There is But One Good [https://open.spotify.com/album/4pmiXcyRpPlFjWjb45pYLx]► Hill - Arc [https://open.spotify.com/album/4pmiXcyRpPlFjWjb45pYLx]► Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder 2► Falls - Life in Binary► Chris Zabriskie - The Sun is Scheduled to Come Out Tomorrow► Atlas - Waking Up::Film/TV clips used::► Interstellar (2014) Paramount Pictures::Chapters::00:00 Prologue00:48 Space Telescopes05:10 Starship Background07:38 Bigger is Better10:42 What Makes Starship Different16:32 Astronomy Benefits21:41 Risk22:46 Outro and Credits#SpaceX #Starship #CoolWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 24, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Why Starship Could Transform Astronomy

0:00 31:36

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Cool Worlds?

This episode is 31 minutes long.

When was this Cool Worlds episode published?

This episode was published on October 24, 2026.

Can I download this Cool Worlds episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!