SpaceX grabbing 90% of the launch contracts to the Moon
Capitalism in space: The announcement yesterday by Firefly that it has awarded SpaceX the launch contract for its Blue Ghost lunar lander mission (scheduled for launch in ’23) is significant because it continues a remarkable pattern of dominance by SpaceX of the lunar launch market.
Right now, of the seven scheduled robot missions to the Moon, SpaceX will launch all but one. The full list, in no particular order:
- Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- NASA’s VIPER rover: SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy
- Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander: ULA’s Vulcan Centaur
- Ispace’s lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- Ispace’s dual rovers: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- Masten’s XL-1 lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
In addition, SpaceX launched Israel’s Beresheet lander in 2019 on a Falcon 9.
Furthermore, SpaceX has won the contract from NASA for the agency’s first manned lunar lander, using Starship. It has also won the contract to launch the initial components of NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station on a Falcon Heavy.
There are other lunar missions in the works (by Russia, China, and others), but these are all the launches awarded as commercial contracts to private rocket companies in recent years. Thus, of these ten lunar missions, SpaceX has launched or is launching nine. That’s a 90% market share!
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Capitalism in space: The announcement yesterday by Firefly that it has awarded SpaceX the launch contract for its Blue Ghost lunar lander mission (scheduled for launch in ’23) is significant because it continues a remarkable pattern of dominance by SpaceX of the lunar launch market.
Right now, of the seven scheduled robot missions to the Moon, SpaceX will launch all but one. The full list, in no particular order:
- Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- NASA’s VIPER rover: SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy
- Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander: ULA’s Vulcan Centaur
- Ispace’s lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- Ispace’s dual rovers: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
- Masten’s XL-1 lander: SpaceX’s Falcon 9
In addition, SpaceX launched Israel’s Beresheet lander in 2019 on a Falcon 9.
Furthermore, SpaceX has won the contract from NASA for the agency’s first manned lunar lander, using Starship. It has also won the contract to launch the initial components of NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station on a Falcon Heavy.
There are other lunar missions in the works (by Russia, China, and others), but these are all the launches awarded as commercial contracts to private rocket companies in recent years. Thus, of these ten lunar missions, SpaceX has launched or is launching nine. That’s a 90% market share!
» Read more