Why SpaceX Bought Two Oil Rigs For $7 Million
In July of 2020, SpaceX purchased two offshore oil rigs. SpaceX made this purchase with their Starship rocket’s future in mind. They plan to use these oil rigs for future missions and launches. However, SpaceX has to make some modifications to the rigs prior to any launch attempt.
SpaceX bought two oil rigs to transform them into off-shore launch platforms for Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation rocket currently in development. The platforms will help increase Starship’s launch schedule, help with Earth to Earth transport, reduce sound, and more.
This project is another very ambitious and exciting move by SpaceX. They have a lot of work and testing first but it could end up paying off significantly in the future. If successful, SpaceX could have access to multiple additional launch pads which is crucial for the future of Starship and more.
How Did SpaceX Get Two Oil-Rigs?
In July of 2020, SpaceX had the opportunity to purchase two oil rigs. The oil rigs were retired Valaris oil rigs originally built around 2010. SpaceX for the last few years and a while prior to the purchase had been very interested in an offshore launch pad. Even in early animations of Starship provided by SpaceX you can see launches happening from massive launch pads out at sea.
Once SpaceX saw the opportunity they made the decision and bought two different oil rigs. Each rig cost SpaceX $3.5 million totalling $7 million. Both rigs are very similar and were only built a year apart. SpaceX and Musk rightfully named the two oil rigs Phobos and Deimos which are the names of Mars’s two moons. After purchasing the two large rigs, SpaceX moved one of them to Mississippi and the other to Texas right near Boca Chica.
Why SpaceX Bought Them
SpaceX bought the rigs for a large list of reasons all stemming around launching their Starship rocket. With Starship being one of the most powerful rockets in the world, it needs a designated launch pad in a good location to help with the launch schedule, safety, Earth to Earth transport, and more.
Launch Schedule – As we know, SpaceX is a very active company that is innovating and progressing extremely fast. With this progression comes the need for a lot of launches. These launches not only include normal launches but also tests. Recently SpaceX was approved for 5 Super Heavy launches for the next year in Boca Chica by the FAA. With SpaceX having goals of launching 1000 Starships a year in the future, they know that a lot more options are needed for Starship launches.
One of their solutions is the purchase of these two oil rigs. Once converted the oil rigs will provide a perfect offshore launch platform that Starship could consistently launch from. Currently, SpaceX owns two and has even started working on one of them. These two platforms will help accelerate SpaceX Starship development and the eventual goal of going to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Safety – With Starship being one of the most powerful rockets ever created, it needs a lot of fuel and generates a lot of forces. On liftoff, the booster alone will produce 72 meganewtons of thrust. This equates to over 17,000,000 pound-force of thrust during launch. While very impressive, this amount of power could cause a lot of damage if something were to go wrong. The benefit of an offshore launchpad is its distance from practically everything. The only thing around it would be the vast ocean. If an explosion were to happen on the pad the only thing that would be damaged would be the launch platform.
Additionally Super Heavy and possibly Starship will both try to land back on these platforms in the future. If something goes wrong during the re-entry process the surrounding area will just be ocean rather than any structures or ground equipment. Also, these oil rigs are meant for very deep water meaning SpaceX will have the option to put them extremely far out depending on their plans.
Earth to Earth – SpaceX not only want to use the platforms for future missions to other planets but also for Earth to Earth transportation. This goal could be considered one of the most ambitious by SpaceX. Earth to Earth transportation brings up a lot of challenges including cost, the force of launch, distance from cities, confidence in Starship, and more. However, if SpaceX were to manage to make it work the offshore launch and landing pads would be crucial.
One of their main benefits is the proximity to the city. This close distance provided by the offshore launch pads would make a trip to the rocket not very long. The other benefit is keeping distance from the populated city. The final would be helping reduce sound as a full Starship launch is extremely loud. Earth to Earth transportation has a lot of challenges but offshore launch and landing pads could make it possible.
How Will SpaceX Transform The Platforms?
SpaceX will have to be very creative when transforming these retired oil rigs into next-generation launch pads for Starship. While it’s unclear exactly what SpaceX will do there are some good guesses based on the needs of Starship for launch. One of the first aspects is a large open area. A majority of the structures and metal throughout the main oil rig platforms will have to be removed. Once removed SpaceX will have a large flat area where they can not only launch Starship but also possibly land the booster and second stage.
SpaceX will then have to work on a launch tower. The oil rigs already have a large metal tower so it’s possible SpaceX would either transform the existing one or take it down and make their own. The launch tower is crucial and will be needed for the possible catching and stacking of Super Heavy and Starship after landing. While SpaceX will have to get rid of a lot of the existing structures, there are likely some things they can keep. One being the large helipad already in place. Helicopters could be a primary way of getting humans on and off the platform. Additionally, SpaceX will need to either replace or reuse tanks already provided on the platform. This will be needed to house everything from liquid methane, oxygen, and water.
When Will The Platforms Be Finished?
Right now it’s hard to say when the platforms will be finished but we do have some information. Not very long ago at the end of May Musk tweeted that construction had started on Deimos. He also added that it should be ready to launch next year in 2022. This helps show us that SpaceX is eager to start working on them and transforming the platforms. Based on this tweet and SpaceX’s continued fast progress it is very possible we see the first launch off the Deimos platform next year in 2022. We will have to wait and see what SpaceX’s plans are and what they can complete.
Conclusion
SpaceX has continued to find unique solutions to its problems. After purchasing two oil rigs for $7 million, they are working to transform them into two offshore launch platforms for Starship. These platforms will help increase SpaceX’s launch schedule, increase safety, and work towards the ambitious goal of Earth to Earth transport. SpaceX has to do a lot of work on the platforms before they are launch-ready but it could end up helping SpaceX consistently launch their next-generation rocket Starship.