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The connection between Brazil and the future of interplanetary exploration: what does WEG have to do with one of the biggest milestones in space exploration, achieved this week by SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk?
What does the Brazilian multinational WEG have to do with one of the greatest milestones in space exploration? Much more than you might think! WEG is behind the successful launch of Starship, the largest rocket ever built by Elon Musk, which promises to revolutionize the future of space travel.
While Musk plans to take humans to Mars, WEG indirectly supplies essential motors for the project, placing Brazil at the center of aerospace innovations. Discover how this collaboration can transform the space exploration scenario and the electric motor industry worldwide!
How Brazilian multinational WEG, one of the largest manufacturers of electric motors in the world, ended up in Elon Musk's project
SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, continues to advance the frontiers of space exploration. In 2023, the company began construction of its own air separation unit, designed to meet the high demand for oxygen, essential for the fuel of its rockets.
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This ambitious project involved a partnership with Atlas Copco Gas and Process, a global giant in the supply of air compressors. To ensure the success of this mission, Atlas chose WEG, a Brazilian company from Jaraguá do Sul, to supply the electric motors responsible for driving the air separation units. This collaboration highlights WEG’s vital role in Musk’s space project.
WEG produced these motors in its factory in India
The motors supplied by WEG are from the MGP line, with impressive specifications: 12,8 MW, 13,8 kV and four poles. In addition, these medium voltage motors are designed according to the NEMA standard, a quality benchmark in the sector. Responsible for driving compressors on offshore platforms, these motors will play a crucial role in producing the oxygen needed for rockets.
These platforms, located several miles apart, are strategically positioned to optimize the air separation process. WEG produced these motors in its factory in India, which allowed for faster delivery, competitive costs and maintaining the first-class quality for which the company is known globally.
The secrecy surrounding the project has not prevented information from quickly spreading online. Although WEG has released some preliminary information, the company declined to comment officially when contacted. This discreet approach is common in projects involving companies the size of SpaceX.
WEG may further expand its participation in Elon Musk's ambitious plans
There is great expectation that WEG will be able to further expand its participation in Elon Musk's ambitious plans. The excellence of the engines supplied so far demonstrates that the Brazilian multinational is prepared to meet SpaceX's growing demands for future space missions.
Who knows, in addition to motors, WEG may become a key supplier of other crucial components, contributing even more to bold projects for colonizing Mars and other revolutionary initiatives in space exploration.
Starship the rocket that went into reverse? The flight of the powerful aircraft that impressed the world
SpaceX has reached another milestone: the second complete flight of Starship, the largest rocket ever built. On Sunday, September 13, the rocket launched, marking a major step forward for space exploration. The mission was divided into two phases.
In the first phase, Starship flew for more than an hour, landing on a platform in the Indian Ocean. The second phase involved the return of the 71-meter-tall booster, which returned in reverse and was captured in mid-air by mechanical arms, showing just how advanced Elon Musk's engineering really is.
This technological feat, known as a “reverse rocket,” was made possible by the use of giant metal clamps nicknamed “chopsticks” that grip the booster after it separates from Starship. This process is part of Elon Musk’s plan to reuse rocket parts, saving millions on each launch.
Average cost of a rocket is about $2 billion,
Currently, the average cost of a rocket is around US$2 billion, making space exploration unfeasible without reusing parts. Therefore, the efficient reuse of components, such as electric motors and thrusters, is a game changer. SpaceX believes that its rockets can reduce costs by up to 30 times.
Since 2015, Musk has been investing in reusable rocket technologies, such as “reverse” systems, which are revolutionary in the web and aerospace engineering. He firmly believes that the future of space exploration depends on these innovations.
On the way to Mars: Musk and the plan to colonize the red planet
With the development of Starship, Elon Musk already has bold plans for the next decade. He predicts that by 2026 SpaceX will be transporting astronauts to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis III project, with the intention of using the same technologies to reach Mars.
Starship’s evolution from small tests to complex launches shows SpaceX’s ability to learn from each flight. For example, the Falcon 9, one of the first rockets to “go into reverse,” underwent several adaptations after initial problems. SpaceX was able to refine the design and ensure that astronauts stranded in space were successfully rescued.
Another advancement is the “Mechazilla,” a launch tower designed to capture and quickly reposition rockets. Elon Musk hopes that SpaceX will eventually be able to relaunch a rocket just 30 minutes after landing. However, technical challenges remain, such as the thermal protection needed for the spacecraft during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Starship is also crucial to NASA's plans to return to the Moon
Starship is also crucial to NASA’s plans to return to the Moon. Collaboration between the two companies is essential, and any delays in Starship’s development could impact the Artemis mission’s timeline. Still, SpaceX continues to innovate, tackling new challenges like in-orbit refueling, a vital step for future deep-space missions.
Elon Musk remains optimistic, envisioning manned missions to Mars within four years, with electric engines and reusable rockets a key part of that future. The web has been an important means of disseminating this information, creating an environment of global anticipation about SpaceX's next step.
An important report can be more succinct and objective, and it doesn't need to be so repetitive. The text is unnecessarily long.
great WEG
ELON MUSK IS A REVOLUTIONARY FOR GOOD. THE GUY IS FANTASTIC. THE WORLD IS A MUCH BETTER WITH HIM IN IT!!!
Elon Musk is just another tycoon who only thinks about what is good for his own pocket, in addition to being a busybody who only knows how to pick fights with the justice system of peripheral countries. When he and some billionaires realize that the neocolonial period has ceased to exist, the world will become a better place.
Go eat grass!
calampine trunk
Between donkeys and magnates, I prefer the latter.
Elonmosk Women .registration .for the near future.space xir planet Mars.the conjunction Mars. ..X.. earth…new race. Global copy Lightvento me salt shaker of the tunnel of times.light
You will learn to write first. Then comment
I'm messing with the guy lol
More respect for the Martians, man, the guy is learning to speak Portuguese, patience my friend.
Look at your fury to see if it leaks, stick your finger in it and rip it. You'll be happier that way, caring less about what others can do. Ridiculous and misogynistic.
Is this some code?
What the hell is this?
He drank them all and posted this s……
Was it an overdose?
Ok . evolution of the future.lightwind.light
Elon Musk is fantastic! Meanwhile in Brazil (authorities, including the current president) despise this fantastic businessman, who simply makes the world a better place.
LICK LICK MUSK EGG!
**** of a magnate is **** indeed.
You're the one who's tough, man, you haven't done anything with your life and you criticize those who do.
You are involving your silly ideological concepts and people are praising and talking only facts, the guy went down in history as a genius of space exploration, even if he didn't do anything genius, and you with this tycoon talk we can already know that your idol went down in history as a ****/****/Fraud.
Your comments are just childish, if he's good for the guy, what's your problem? Grow up.