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from the don't-forget-to-wipe-your-nose dept.
SpaceX to Reuse Payload Fairing for First Time on Nov. 11 Launch:
A SpaceX launch set for Nov. 11 will mark the first Falcon 9 mission to use a payload fairing from a previous flight, the company announced Tuesday, shortly after SpaceX engineers at Cape Canaveral test-fired the mission's first stage booster, also refurbished and reused.
The Falcon 9 launch scheduled for next Monday — and previously planned for October — will loft 60 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink broadband network, joining 60 other test craft deployed on a Falcon 9 flight in May.
The launch window opens at 9:51 a.m. EST (1451 GMT) Monday and extends for approximately 11 minutes. It will be SpaceX's first launch since Aug. 6, and the first ground-based launch from Cape Canaveral since Aug. 22.
[...] Last month, a senior SpaceX official said the Starlink flight would be the company's first mission to fly a Falcon 9 first stage booster for a fourth launch.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday November 06 2019, @08:07PM
I'd say the bigger bet is Starlink.
Although they say they can begin operating with only a fraction of the planned constellation, my guess is that they will spend no less than $5 billion on Starlink under the current plans. 50,000 satellites * $100,000. Remember, the initial satellites will have to be deorbited and destroyed after 7 years or so. If they get the per-satellite average cost far below $100k, then my estimate could be wildly off. But there are other costs associated with Starlink. Some might not be borne by SpaceX if they decide to use middlemen to handle home internet service customers.
Starship development was estimated at $2 to $10 billion. Based on the use of stainless steel instead of carbon fiber, building rockets out in the open, and using only about 5% of the company's resources, I'd say it's coming in at the lower end so far. They are probably getting at least $200 million from Yusaku Maezawa, conditional on success. Air Force and NASA are likely customers. Telecoms are interested and SpaceX claims it could launch commercial payloads in 2021.
A successful fully reusable launch vehicle destroys the launch industry as we know it and starts a new race to the bottom. Rocket launches weren't that lucrative to start with (unless it's a pork rocket). SpaceX could keep Starship launch prices at Falcon 9 levels for a while and pocket more money that way, but that doesn't expand the amount of customers (see the current months-long launch lull). SpaceX becoming its own best customer and launching Starlink satellites cheaper than Amazon or OneWeb can launch theirs is going to be a big deal. It's a vertical monopoly that could significantly expand SpaceX's revenue, and it could lead to various legal challenges and liabilities they weren't exposed to before.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]