SpaceX successfully launches 50 Starlink satellites
Capitalism in space: SpaceX today successfully launched another 50 Starlink satellites using its Falcon 9 rocket.
The first stage, on its fourth flight, landed successfully on the drone ship in the Pacific. The fairings completed their third flight. The satellites themselves have not yet been deployed, as of this moment. Deployment is expected in about an hour.
The leaders in the 2022 launch race:
8 SpaceX
2 China
2 Russia
SpaceX is so far maintaining a launch rate of one launch per week in ’22, as the company had predicted.
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 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: SpaceX today successfully launched another 50 Starlink satellites using its Falcon 9 rocket.
The first stage, on its fourth flight, landed successfully on the drone ship in the Pacific. The fairings completed their third flight. The satellites themselves have not yet been deployed, as of this moment. Deployment is expected in about an hour.
The leaders in the 2022 launch race:
8 SpaceX
2 China
2 Russia
SpaceX is so far maintaining a launch rate of one launch per week in ’22, as the company had predicted.
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 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
And launches coming Mar 3rd and 7th for more Starlinks, keeping up that pace.
How far away can these launches be seen?
I am thinking of buying land in the area just to watch the launches.
“The first stage, on its fourth flight, landed successfully on the drone ship in the Pacific.”
A better phrase than “landed successfully” would be “nailed the landing…” It was dead center.
I wonder in real costs what each of these starlink launches is costing Spacex. Between recovery, rehab of the rocket(even if its small its some), transport, fuel.
Its a lot less than a most other launch companies but its still not nothing and where is starlink getting when it comes to covering that cost.
Sayomara-
–this has come up recently in the comments (SpaceX’s internal costs for Starlink) and I think it’s entirely safe to say, they are THE low-cost provider, on the face of the Earth. It’s orders of magnitude lower than anyone.
The only good thing this year…but it feels SpaceX used up the planet’s good luck. My co-worker was murdered trying to get out of an abusive relationship…I have oil in the radiator and am too broke to fix it…the sacking of Kiev…
“the sacking of Kiev”
For a thorough job of that you need the Mongols. I wonder if there’s any Mongolian mercenaries out there?
https://medieval2.heavengames.com/m2tw/history/historical_battles_folder/sack_kiev/
Pzatchok
A Quick look—-
Google Crud:
If you are close to the east coast, near to the Cape Canaveral launch platform, then you will have a prime position to watch the launch. Cape Canaveral launch viewing is also possible from further away. Larger rockets like the SpaceX Falcon Heavy can be seen after take off from distances up to around 700km away.
___________
From Quora:
https://www.quora.com/When-a-rocket-launches-from-Cape-Canaveral-how-far-away-can-you-be-and-still-see-the-rocket-as-it-climbs-into-space
Sayomara,
wayne is correct, we had this discussion a few weeks ago, and I think that the figure was at least $15 million but probably less than $28 million.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zku7Hstjv8A#t=1179
If SpaceX is doing it right, the launch side of the company charges the Starlink side the full price, otherwise the investors in the launchers are subsidizing the investors in the Starlink by more than $20 million per launch. Either way, the cost for a Starlink launch is less on a Falcon 9 than on pretty much any other launcher.
As for the cost of a Falcon 9 launch.
Its what ever the seller and buyer agree on.
If you actually want the true cost so you know the profit margin Musk is making. Well that’s his business.
I bet the recovery costs of the rocket and fairings are under a million by now. The boats should be paid for by now.
The fuel is less than a million.
And if all he has to replace is the second stage then I bet that’s about than 5 million.
Counting in labor and other costs I bet a relaunch is about 10 million total. Everything over that is profit.
Triple that 10 mill to cover total replacements and future costs and that is pretty much what he is charging.