SpaceX rocket to get $2B boost

Via Satellite Magazine

3mo

SpaceX's recent Starship test may have sparked a mishap investigation by the FAA and raised concerns over potential damage to the environment, but leading space and satellite analysts say the company's powerful political and financial position will protect it through delays. https://lnkd.in/eFRPXMv7

SpaceX’s Starlink Position Remains Protected from Most Starship Delay…

satellitetoday.com

Georgetown Security Studies Review

3mo

With each Starship launch projected to initially cost $100 million, the same price as a Falcon Heavy launch today, Space can financially afford to learn from failure, unlike NASA. ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/esjbfgpA

T-minus 6 Seconds: Starship (and Humanity’s) Next Major Step Into Space

http://georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org

Michael Sheetz

3mo

SpaceX expects to spend about $2 billion on #Starship rocket development this year, as the company pushes to reach orbit with next launches. Updates from #ElonMusk's review of the first launch:

SpaceX to spend about $2 billion on Starship this year, as Elon Musk pushes to…

cnbc.com

Casey Beers

3mo

As the world looks towards the future of space exploration, it's important that we don't overlook the environmental and safety hazards that come with launching spacecraft. Recently, Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship was grounded indefinitely by the FAA due to concerns over its potential impact on the environment and public safety. The recent launch led to reports of “Broken windows and ash-like particulate matter from the launch have been reported as far away as Port Isabel, a town of about 5,000 people six miles away from the launchpad” According to a recent article in Flying Mag, the FAA cited "non-compliance with safety regulations" as the reason for grounding the Starship. While Musk's determination to colonize Mars is admirable, it's possible that his single-minded focus on this goal has led him to overlook the potential hazards of launching the Starship without adequate environmental and safety mitigations in place. One of the pillars of his colonization plan is satellite communications. His Starlink constellation is imperative to success of the dreams of colonizing Mars and is a sort of proof of concept. Currently, starlink can only launch 40 satellites at a time. The starship has the potential to launch 400 in one go. According to SpaceX, Starlink's constellation will require at least 12,000 satellites in orbit to achieve its full potential. However, the company has applied to launch up to 42,000 satellites in total in order to provide global internet coverage with low latency and high bandwidth. As of April 2023, SpaceX has launched over 1,800 Starlink satellites, which means there is still a long way to go before the constellation is fully operational. Especially when launching 40 at a time. As we continue to push the boundaries of space exploration, it's important that we do so in a way that is responsible and safe. The recent grounding of the SpaceX Starship serves as a reminder that we must remain vigilant and prioritize safety in all aspects of space travel. #faa #starlink #flightsafety

SpaceX Starship Grounded Indefinitely By FAA - FLYING Magazine

https://www.flyingmag.com

Kathryn Aragon

3mo

Testing isn't about succes. It's about data. As long as you gather key data that gives you deeper understanding or answers a specific question, a failed test isn't actually a failure. SpaceX's rocket failure is a good example. > Know what you're testing. > Set up systems to gather all the data you need. > Run the test. > Rinse and repeat. With this approach, there's no such thing as failure. #growth #nofailure

Karol Sarnek 🚀⚡️

3mo

🚀 Attention space enthusiasts! 🌟 As we look to the future of space exploration, it's hard not to compare some of the most powerful rockets ever built. Let's take a closer look at four heavy hitters: Starship 🚀, New Glenn 🚀, Falcon 9 🚀, and the iconic Saturn V 🚀🌕. First up is Starship, the newest player in the game from SpaceX. With its fully reusable design, Starship aims to drastically reduce the cost of space travel and enable human exploration of Mars and beyond. 🔴👨‍🚀 #Starship #SpaceX #MarsMission Next is New Glenn, under development by Blue Origin. Named after the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, this rocket will be capable of carrying people and payloads to low Earth orbit and beyond. 🌍👽 #NewGlenn #BlueOrigin #SpaceExploration Third on the list is the Falcon 9, also from SpaceX. This rocket has already made history by successfully launching and landing multiple times, and has played a key role in missions to the International Space Station. 🛰️🌎 #Falcon9 #SpaceX #ISS Last but not least is the mighty Saturn V, the rocket that carried humans to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. Standing at a towering 363 feet tall, it remains the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. 🌕🚀 #SaturnV #MoonLanding #ApolloProgram Which rocket do you think is the most impressive? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 👇🚀 #SpaceRace #RocketComparison #NASA

Brian Mejeur

3mo

I am surprised to hear how much disagreement there has been about the result of the first Starship orbital test flight. Many media outlets and professionals have been slamming the company for a weak performance and barely achieving any of its objectives. I'm also seeing SpaceX employees (present and past) praising the vehicle and company for clearing the pad and gathering meaningful data and being ready to go again in a couple of months. To me, the result was mixed. It would have felt like a clear failure if it wouldn't have cleared the pad and destroyed the tower. It also would have been a massive success if it would have successfully passed stage separation, largely so the stages could decouple and see how far each could get in the remainder of its desired mission. Instead, it was somewhere in between. On one hand, there were some obvious serious issues: pad damage, uncontrolled debris, subsystem failures, engines out, and a circus display before the FTS did its job. On the other hand, the vehicle did clear the tower and collected valuable data for over two flight minutes. With that in mind: why is this result so hotly debated? Wasn't this more or less what we all expected? #spacex #starship #starshiplaunch #newspace #newspaceeconomy

John-Mark Palacios

3mo

There are efficiencies from a private company handling things instead of a public agency, but there is also sometimes a greater risk of taking shortcuts in order to meet a deadline or budget. Setting a state park on fire and raining concrete dust over a small town is not really an acceptable way to launch a rocket. https://flip.it/WIEzOY

Starship Launch Lit a Large Portion of a State Park on Fire

futurism.com