How SpaceX makes its rockets: Elon Musk tweets hypnotic 'spinning fire' video of giant nozzles taking shape

Musk tweeted the 10-second video, writing only 'Forming a rocket nozzle'
The video shows the cone-shaped component spinning under torches
Just days ago, SpaceX announced its plans to return to flight early January

By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com and Reuters

Published: 15:27 EST, 12 December 2016 | Updated: 17:01 EST, 12 December 2016

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Elon Musk has revealed a glimpse at one of the mesmerizing processes that helps bring a SpaceX rocket to life.

The CEO tweeted a video of a rocket nozzle being manufactured, showing the cone-shaped component spinning under the fire of numerous torches.

While the video offers little detail on the technology, many have speculated that the nozzle will eventually be used for one of the firm’s Falcon 9 rockets.

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Elon Musk has revealed a glimpse at one of the mesmerizing processes that helps bring a SpaceX rocket to life. The CEO tweeted a video of a rocket nozzle being manufactured, showing the cone-shaped component spinning under the fire of numerous torches

The Falcon 9 rocket has nine Merlin engines, and generates more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust at sea level, and more than 1.8 million pounds of thrust in space, according to the firm.

Musk left much to the imagination in the tweet on Friday, writing only, ’Forming a rocket nozzle’ to accompany the video.

In the short clip, the machine can be seen spitting flames in the midst of its hypnotic spin as it forges the structure.

A $10 MILLION BACKLOG

The Sept. 1 accident was the second for SpaceX in 29 flights of the Falcon 9.

The company, owned and operated by Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Officer Musk, has a backlog of more than 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers, worth more than $10 billion.

It comes just days after SpaceX announced its plans to return to flight in early January following the explosion at Cape Canaveral in September.

But, it has also been revealed that British satellite company Inmarsat will switch to using Arianespace from rival SpaceX to launch a new satellite to provide broadband connectivity to air passengers.

The S-band satellite had been scheduled to launch with technology billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX but Inmarsat said setbacks to SpaceX's launch schedule prompted it to turn to Arianespace instead.

Inmarsat said on Thursday that European-owned Arianespace will launch the S-band satellite in mid-2017.

On September 1, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket (pictured) exploded as it was being fueled for a routine pre-launch test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Musk now says this was caused by a fueling system issue that created solid oxygen in the supper stage tank

SpaceX has been forced to delay December rocket launches until January as an investigation continues into why one rocket burst into flames on Sept. 1.

SpaceX has a backlog of more than 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers, worth more than $10 billion.

No-one at SpaceX was immediately available to comment on the loss of the contract, the value of which was not revealed by Inmarsat.

Inmarsat said that it still planned to launch a different satellite, the Inmarsat-5 F4, with SpaceX during the first-half of 2017, adding that it looked forward to working with SpaceX in future.

Inmarsat plans to use the S-band satellite for providing air passengers with connectivity, as part of the European Aviation Network project with Deutsche Telecom.

SpaceX has been forced to delay December rocket launches until January as an investigation continues into why one rocket burst into flames on Sept. 1. CEO Elon Musk is pictured

It comes just after it was announced that Elon Musk's SpaceX has been forced to delay the return of its rockets to flight until January as an investigation continues into a launch pad explosion earlier this year.

The company had hoped to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16 to put 10 satellites into orbit for Iridium Communications Inc., but did not receive a required license to fly from the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees U.S. commercial space transportation.

'We are finalizing the investigation into our September 1 anomaly and are working to complete the final steps necessary to safely and reliably return to flight, now in early January,' SpaceX said in a statement on Wednesday.

SpaceX suspended flights after one of its rockets burst into flames on Sept. 1 as it was being fueled for a routine pre-launch test in Florida.

The company traced the explosion to a fueling system problem that caused a pressurized container of helium inside the rocket's upper stage to burst.

The accident destroyed a $200 million satellite owned by Israel's Space Communication Ltd.

In a separate statement Iridium said it remained 'confident as ever in (SpaceX's) ability to safely deliver our satellites into low-Earth orbit.'

SpaceX on Wednesday declined to comment about what measures it will take to ensure the problem will not reoccur.

ELON MUSK'S 'INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT SYSTEM'

Last month, Elon Musk unveiled his most ambitious project yet - an 'Interplanetary Transport System' to take mankind to Mars in 80 days and build a sustainable human colony of a million people there.

'What I want to achieve is make Mars seem possible, to show that we can do it in our lifetimes, and you could go,' he said at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico.

However, he warned the trip was likely to be dangerous - and said candidates for the first missions 'must be prepared to die'.

The Interplanetary Transport System will use a giant rocket booster with a 39 foot (12m) diameter and 49 engines, and a special shuttle with a 56 foot (17m) diameter, making the entire rocket stack 400 feet (122m) high.

They will launch with empty fuel tanks and refuel in orbit.

Once on Mars, they would make more methane fuel for the return journey.