SpaceX is super-cooling its rocket fuel colder than anyone else— and why that could be a problem

For nearly a year, SpaceX has been trying out something new: super-cooling the liquid oxygen (LOX) which is a key ingredient in rocket fuel. It's called deep-cryo LOX, and the idea has been around since NASA began designing rockets in the first half of the 20th century. But no one has had the guts to actually fly rockets regularly with deep-cryo LOX. 

We spoke with associate professor of aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech, Mitchell Walker, to understand why SpaceX chills its LOX cooler than anyone else and whether or not this is a good idea.

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