Air Force admits SpaceX forced it to streamline operations
Capitalism in space: Air Force officials today admitted that SpaceX’s focus on frequent low-cost launches forced it to streamline its range operations.
“SpaceX does not launch on schedule,” Monteith said Sept. 20 during a space warfighting panel at the annual Air Force Association Air Space Cyber Conference. “They launch on readiness.”
This launch-when-we’re-ready-to-go attitude has had an impact on SpaceX operational needs and costs, said [Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander, 45th Space Wing], who also is director of the Air Force Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. “They have forced us — and I mean forced us — to get better, infinitely better, at what we do,” he said. “We are adopting commercial business practices and becom[ing] more efficient and more affordable. Working with them, we have been able to reduce our main launch footprint by 60 percent and reduce the cost of a single launch by over 50 percent,” he said. “Based on the autonomous flight safety system they developed with us they will help us get to 48 launches a year.”
The autonomous flight safety system replaces the ground-based mission flight control personnel and equipment with on-board positioning, navigation and timing sources and decision logic, the Air Force notes. The system is meant to reduce range spacelift cost, increase schedule predictability and availability, operational flexibility, and launch-slot flexibility.
Gee, the Air Force has only been running the Kennedy launch range now for about a half century. I wonder why they couldn’t figure this out sooner. Could it be because, before SpaceX’s arrival, no one was interested in saving money or launching frequently? Could it be they were all happy with their plush, safe, government jobs and contracts, and didn’t feel a need to do things better?
Damn straight it could be. Before SpaceX the American launch industry was a sick puppy, unwilling to innovate or compete. Thank god that has all now changed, and the reason it changed is because of freedom and competition, hallmarks of American greatness.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Capitalism in space: Air Force officials today admitted that SpaceX’s focus on frequent low-cost launches forced it to streamline its range operations.
“SpaceX does not launch on schedule,” Monteith said Sept. 20 during a space warfighting panel at the annual Air Force Association Air Space Cyber Conference. “They launch on readiness.”
This launch-when-we’re-ready-to-go attitude has had an impact on SpaceX operational needs and costs, said [Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander, 45th Space Wing], who also is director of the Air Force Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. “They have forced us — and I mean forced us — to get better, infinitely better, at what we do,” he said. “We are adopting commercial business practices and becom[ing] more efficient and more affordable. Working with them, we have been able to reduce our main launch footprint by 60 percent and reduce the cost of a single launch by over 50 percent,” he said. “Based on the autonomous flight safety system they developed with us they will help us get to 48 launches a year.”
The autonomous flight safety system replaces the ground-based mission flight control personnel and equipment with on-board positioning, navigation and timing sources and decision logic, the Air Force notes. The system is meant to reduce range spacelift cost, increase schedule predictability and availability, operational flexibility, and launch-slot flexibility.
Gee, the Air Force has only been running the Kennedy launch range now for about a half century. I wonder why they couldn’t figure this out sooner. Could it be because, before SpaceX’s arrival, no one was interested in saving money or launching frequently? Could it be they were all happy with their plush, safe, government jobs and contracts, and didn’t feel a need to do things better?
Damn straight it could be. Before SpaceX the American launch industry was a sick puppy, unwilling to innovate or compete. Thank god that has all now changed, and the reason it changed is because of freedom and competition, hallmarks of American greatness.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
they will help us get to 48 launches a year.”
It looks like they were interested in launching frequently, just unable to reform their operations for some reason(s).
That number includes launches for all Air Force facilities and right now, he said, the service is conducting about half that launch total annually.
What will the total launches by country look like at the end of this year and will anyone have anticipated them?
Wodun asked, “What will the total launches by country look like at the end of this year and will anyone have anticipated them?”
Well, I would say that I have spent a considerable amount of time this year trying to anticipate the totals for every nation/company for this year, from the beginning. Right now it looks pretty firm that the U.S will have the most launches, with SpaceX leading the way (and possibly beating out every other country in the world).