‘You’ll Thank Me Later’ may be name of new Starship barge. Other catchy SpaceX names
Here's a look at some of the other names SpaceX has conjured up for vehicles and infrastructure critical to its spaceflight program.
- Is Falcon 9 named for 'Star Wars?' How do Iain M. Banks novels influence the names of SpaceX's drone ships?
- It's not just spacecraft and sea vessels that are branded with SpaceX's signature catchy monikers. Mechazilla and Gigabay also have recognizable names.
SpaceX is famous for plenty of reasons.
First and, perhaps, foremost, is the company's mercurial and headline-grabbing founder – billionaire Elon Musk, who happens to be the world's richest man. Then there's SpaceX's sheer prominence and dominance in the spaceflight industry, a sector in the U.S. where its fleet of rockets and spacecraft seem to be integral somehow in almost every mission that gets off the ground.
But one quality that may be oft-overlooked by anyone other than SpaceX's biggest fans? It's penchant for clever, catchy names for anything from the company's rockets to the drone ships where boosters land.
In fact, Musk recently teased what may end up being the name of the latest seafaring vessel: You'll Thank Me Later. Like all of SpaceX's three drone ships stationed in Florida and California, the name would be a reference to a science fiction novel in author Iain Banks' Culture series.
But in this case, speculation is already spreading that You'll Thank Me Later could be the name of the barge that will one day transport SpaceX's Starship megarockets from Starbase, Texas to the Space Coast. SpaceX, of course, has yet to confirm that rumor – though Musk has coyly teased the idea on social media site X.
In the meantime, here's a look at some of the other names SpaceX has conjured up for vehicles and infrastructure critical to its spaceflight program.
SpaceX's most famous rocket, Falcon 9, named for 'Star Wars'
Because it's one of the most active rockets in the world, SpaceX's Falcon 9 may be one of the most recognizable spacecraft names amid those who even casually follow spaceflight news.
The two-stage 230-foot rocket is not only the exclusive launch provider for SpaceX's Starlink internet satellite deployments from Florida and California, but is often the vehicle of choice for civil and military missions. NASA regularly turns to the Falcon 9 to help propel astronauts to the International Space Station, and the rocket also is contracted for a number of military satellite deployments.
But what inspired its name?
It may not surprise you to learn that the spacecraft is named for one of the most iconic fictional spacecraft to ever grace a screen: the Millenium Falcon from the "Star Wars" franchise. The number 9 refers to the nine Merlin engines that power Falcon 9's first stage, according to NASA.
Florida drone ships named Shortfall of Gravitas and Just Read the Instructions
In Florida, two autonomous drone ships have for years operated from Port Canaveral off the coast of Cape Canaveral: Shortfall of Gravitas and Just Read the Instructions.
The vessels are an integral part of SpaceX's reusability philosophy, especially for missions that cannot carry enough fuel for a booster to return and land back at the launch site itself.
Stationed in the Atlantic Ocean during launches, the drone ships, built on modified barges, are where a Falcon 9's first stage booster often lands before it's transported back to a launch complex to be readied for another mission. The drone ships, outfitted with large landing platforms, are seemingly used interchangeably for missions from either the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, or the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station located further south.
So, where did SpaceX come up with such unconventional names? Turns out, both of the drone ships are named for spaceships in science fiction novels by Iain M. Banks.
Shortfall of Gravitas is named after a spacecraft titled ‘Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall‘ from the novel "Look to Windward," according to the website space-offshore.com, which is dedicated to information about seafaring ships in the aerospace industry
In the case of Just Read the Instructions, the drone ship is named after a spacecraft of the same name from the novel "The Player of Games." Both of the spaceships for which the SpaceX drone ships are named are from Banks' Culture series.
Of Course I Still Love You is where boosters land in California
California is home to a SpaceX drone ship of its own used for Falcon 9 first-stage booste landings following Starlink missions.
Like its counterparts in the Sunshine State, Of Course I Still Love You is named for a Banks novel. Operated out of the Port of Long Beach, the drone ship is stationed in the Pacific Ocean during SpaceX Starlink missions getting off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
SpaceX Dragon capsule named for 'Puff the Magic Dragon'
The named of SpaceX's 27-foot-tall Dragon space capsule has an interesting origin for its name as well.
As Musk explained in 2018 on social media site X, then called Twitter, the capsule was originally called Puff the Magic Dragon "as people said I was high if though it could work." Puff the Magic Dragon is of course a reference to the 1963 song by Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as the 1978 animated television special it inspired.
"I named it after their insult," he continued.
Musk, though, appears to have gotten the last laugh.
Today, the Dragon capsule has journeyed on multiple missions to orbit and is the only U.S. vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
What is Mechazilla, Gigabay?
It's not just spacecraft and sea vessels that are branded with SpaceX's signature quirky monikers.
At SpaceX's Starbase company town and headquarters in South Texas, there's a contraption dubbed "mechazilla" – perhaps a reference to the fictional cyborg Mechagodzilla. The nickname refers to the company's colossal tower equipped with massive robotic arms – themselves nicknamed "chopsticks" – that has the task of occasionally catching a returning Super Heavy booster used during a Starship test flight.
And closer to home in Florida, a new Starship facility SpaceX calls "Gigabay" on Kennedy Space Center grounds will be where Starship will one day be stacked and finalized for launches from the state.
Contributing: Rick Neale, Florida Today
This article has been updated to add new information.