After Things Podcast

The episode opens with discussion of SpaceX’s newly reported FAA approval to launch from Boca Chica, Texas. The hosts explain that launch sites need government permission, compare Boca Chica with other regulated sites, and use the moment to talk about the scale of SpaceX’s Starship program, including the massive factories, high bays, and launch towers being built in Texas and Florida. The middle of the episode turns into a long joke-driven segment about a Raleigh-area pest-control study offering $2,000 for people to let 100 cockroaches live in their home for 30 days. The hosts debate the risks, the legality and nuisance of it, and then call Brian’s mom and Bryce on-air, both of whom refuse the offer even when the amount is escalated to a billion dollars. Key topics FAA regulation for SpaceX launches: The hosts say Boca Chica launch operations require FAA approval and note that even other launch sites involve regulatory review. Starship infrastructure and reusable rocket manufacturing: Andrew describes SpaceX’