SpaceX drilling for natural gas?

[Cosmacelf]

Anyone know what this is all about?

Elon Musk Is Leasing Land to Drill for Natural Gas In Texas

 

[Watts_Up]

Anyone know what this is all about?

Elon Musk Is Leasing Land to Drill for Natural Gas In Texas

To extract methane and convert it into hydrogen for the new coming refresh Tesla Model S that runs on hydrogen fuel cells

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Anyone know what this is all about?

Elon Musk Is Leasing Land to Drill for Natural Gas In Texas

Starship and Superheavy will run on natural gas.

 

[CyberGus]

Starship and Superheavy will run on natural gas.

What?? I thought that's what the 4680 was for

 

[adiggs]

I guess that buying up those existing natural gas wells is cheaper than either trucking in the nat gas as needed, or running a pipeline.

I actually find that believable - especially understanding that there are already wells there that are producing methane.

 

[Grendal]

Vertical integration at its finest.

Hopefully, SpaceX doesn't innovate methane wells to the point of making fossil fuels a viable alternative to electrification....

 

[CyberGus]

I searched the web for "battery-powered rocket" to make a joke, but I'll be damned:

Rutherford (rocket engine) - Wikipedia

 

[Johan]

Probably a good idea to drill for their own gas. Synergy effect with the Boring Co? It's good to learn how to drill for methane here on Earth. Because it's good to know how to drill for methane on Mars if you want to be able to get back.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Probably a good idea to drill for their own gas. Synergy effect with the Boring Co? It's good to learn how to drill for methane here on Earth. Because it's good to know how to drill for methane on Mars if you want to be able to get back.

Not considered likely to have underground methane on Mars.

 

[adiggs]

Probably a good idea to drill for their own gas. Synergy effect with the Boring Co? It's good to learn how to drill for methane here on Earth. Because it's good to know how to drill for methane on Mars if you want to be able to get back.

What I got from the article is that the land already has drilled and producing wells. Whether they are economic for others to operate, the implication is sort of not as I think they were also shut in (or not particularly desirable wells).

I didn't see any indication that SpaceX would be getting any experience with drilling for oil/gas. But if they've got an economic transport method from well head to rocket facility fuel storage, then there may be some significant savings over trucking it in (I doubt they've got enough volume for a pipeline extension, but maybe they are planning ahead...)

 

[miimura]

IMHO, SpaceX should be installing solar fields, atmospheric CO2 capture, and synthetic methane generation equipment instead of drilling for fossil gas. They need the experience with syn-fuel for Mars anyway. It would reduce climate impact of Boca Chica rocket operations too.

 

[adiggs]

IMHO, SpaceX should be installing solar fields, atmospheric CO2 capture, and synthetic methane generation equipment instead of drilling for fossil gas. They need the experience with syn-fuel for Mars anyway. It would reduce climate impact of Boca Chica rocket operations too.

I'm pretty sure they're already doing this, for exactly the reasons you mention.

Thinking about this more, I think the local wells aren't for the activity we're seeing right now. It's looking ahead to when those offshore platforms are launching and landing starship multiple times / day (given that ever happens - but thinking ahead). They don't need increments for rocket testing - they need bulk quantities. At these volume levels, for constant flights hither and yon, manufacturing methane via the syn-fuel process (forget the name) probably doesn't scale the way they'd need it.

Then again, with offshore launch/land facilities my completely uninformed thought is that they could have nat gas tankers dock and unload directly to their near-site storage.

 

[Grendal]

Here is the well that SpaceX supposedly owns. It sits right on the property that SpaceX is using for Starbase. Nothing has ever been drilled there. I expect SpaceX bought the property for the land and doesn't want someone to suddenly start drilling there. The rest is just speculation and paperwork. JMHO though.

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