Why is SpaceX not creating its own launch vehicle for small satellites?
With a (predicted) $5.5 Billion dollar market, why isn't SpaceX trying to build its own 'mini launch vehicles'? With the brand and the technology they have, they can easily capture a huge chunk of the market.
spacex rockets launch-vehicle small-launch-vehicles
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
add a comment |
With a (predicted) $5.5 Billion dollar market, why isn't SpaceX trying to build its own 'mini launch vehicles'? With the brand and the technology they have, they can easily capture a huge chunk of the market.
spacex rockets launch-vehicle small-launch-vehicles
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
The cost of a rocket does not scale linearly with payload mass. The cost and weight for electronics will be about the same for a smaller rocket. Therefore using the same rocket for launch of many small satellites together may be cheaper. Using the same launch vehicle instead of developing a new one saves a lot of money.
– Uwe
2 hours ago
add a comment |
With a (predicted) $5.5 Billion dollar market, why isn't SpaceX trying to build its own 'mini launch vehicles'? With the brand and the technology they have, they can easily capture a huge chunk of the market.
spacex rockets launch-vehicle small-launch-vehicles
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
With a (predicted) $5.5 Billion dollar market, why isn't SpaceX trying to build its own 'mini launch vehicles'? With the brand and the technology they have, they can easily capture a huge chunk of the market.
spacex rockets launch-vehicle small-launch-vehicles
spacex rockets launch-vehicle small-launch-vehicles
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
edited 4 hours ago
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
asked 4 hours ago
Amar
1,014527
1,014527
The cost of a rocket does not scale linearly with payload mass. The cost and weight for electronics will be about the same for a smaller rocket. Therefore using the same rocket for launch of many small satellites together may be cheaper. Using the same launch vehicle instead of developing a new one saves a lot of money.
– Uwe
2 hours ago
add a comment |
The cost of a rocket does not scale linearly with payload mass. The cost and weight for electronics will be about the same for a smaller rocket. Therefore using the same rocket for launch of many small satellites together may be cheaper. Using the same launch vehicle instead of developing a new one saves a lot of money.
– Uwe
2 hours ago
The cost of a rocket does not scale linearly with payload mass. The cost and weight for electronics will be about the same for a smaller rocket. Therefore using the same rocket for launch of many small satellites together may be cheaper. Using the same launch vehicle instead of developing a new one saves a lot of money.
– Uwe
2 hours ago
The cost of a rocket does not scale linearly with payload mass. The cost and weight for electronics will be about the same for a smaller rocket. Therefore using the same rocket for launch of many small satellites together may be cheaper. Using the same launch vehicle instead of developing a new one saves a lot of money.
– Uwe
2 hours ago
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
They already have one. The Falcon 9. Earlier this month a single Falcon 9 put 64 smallsats on orbit. It was arranged by a rideshare company, Spaceflight, at prices that small launch vehicles could never compete with, starting at $300. No, there are no missing zeros or missing "K"s in that figure.
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
5
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
add a comment |
Everything SpaceX does is in service of Elon Musk's ultimate goal of retiring to Mars. The Falcon 9 was a stepping stone, developing a separate small launcher would take a lot of development effort that doesn't help the ultimate goal.
Their plan involves moving all payloads to the BFR, a reusable spaceship that could be more economical than throwing away a small rocket on every launch.
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
add a comment |
They already dipped their toes in that, it was called Falcon 1. Basically they didn't find enough demand to justify keeping it around. Granted today there is more of a demand for such then there was in the past, but...
The ultimate solution will be Starship (BFR). The estimated cost of a single launch is about $6 million. An Electron rocket costs $5 million. The amount of payload that Starship can take to LEO is VASTLY larger then an Electron rocket.
As for the $5.5 billion market size, that would include building and launching them. Let's say there is 100 launches per year, that would only come to a $1 billion launch cost of total launches per year. They could do it, but there is a limit to how much engineering they can do, and it is more worth their while to go after the bigger fishes of Starlink and Starship.
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
They already have one. The Falcon 9. Earlier this month a single Falcon 9 put 64 smallsats on orbit. It was arranged by a rideshare company, Spaceflight, at prices that small launch vehicles could never compete with, starting at $300. No, there are no missing zeros or missing "K"s in that figure.
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
5
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
add a comment |
They already have one. The Falcon 9. Earlier this month a single Falcon 9 put 64 smallsats on orbit. It was arranged by a rideshare company, Spaceflight, at prices that small launch vehicles could never compete with, starting at $300. No, there are no missing zeros or missing "K"s in that figure.
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
5
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
add a comment |
They already have one. The Falcon 9. Earlier this month a single Falcon 9 put 64 smallsats on orbit. It was arranged by a rideshare company, Spaceflight, at prices that small launch vehicles could never compete with, starting at $300. No, there are no missing zeros or missing "K"s in that figure.
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
They already have one. The Falcon 9. Earlier this month a single Falcon 9 put 64 smallsats on orbit. It was arranged by a rideshare company, Spaceflight, at prices that small launch vehicles could never compete with, starting at $300. No, there are no missing zeros or missing "K"s in that figure.
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
edited 46 mins ago
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
answered 1 hour ago
Mark Adler
47.9k3122201
47.9k3122201
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
5
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
add a comment |
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
5
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
use backslash-$ to prevent two $ from converting everything in between to Mathjax
– Hobbes
1 hour ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
I think those 64 smallsats were not the only payload, 19,200 $ for those 64,that would be incredible. Or is 300 $ the price for a tinysat?
– Uwe
57 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
The 64 smallsats were the only payload. I said starting at $300. You need to click on the link to see the range of prices.
– Mark Adler
44 mins ago
5
5
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
Look very carefully, and you will notice "Pricing in thousands (USD)". So there really should be a K in front of that. I would edit that in, but I think it really changes your argument quite a bit.
– PearsonArtPhoto♦
31 mins ago
add a comment |
Everything SpaceX does is in service of Elon Musk's ultimate goal of retiring to Mars. The Falcon 9 was a stepping stone, developing a separate small launcher would take a lot of development effort that doesn't help the ultimate goal.
Their plan involves moving all payloads to the BFR, a reusable spaceship that could be more economical than throwing away a small rocket on every launch.
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
add a comment |
Everything SpaceX does is in service of Elon Musk's ultimate goal of retiring to Mars. The Falcon 9 was a stepping stone, developing a separate small launcher would take a lot of development effort that doesn't help the ultimate goal.
Their plan involves moving all payloads to the BFR, a reusable spaceship that could be more economical than throwing away a small rocket on every launch.
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
add a comment |
Everything SpaceX does is in service of Elon Musk's ultimate goal of retiring to Mars. The Falcon 9 was a stepping stone, developing a separate small launcher would take a lot of development effort that doesn't help the ultimate goal.
Their plan involves moving all payloads to the BFR, a reusable spaceship that could be more economical than throwing away a small rocket on every launch.
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
Everything SpaceX does is in service of Elon Musk's ultimate goal of retiring to Mars. The Falcon 9 was a stepping stone, developing a separate small launcher would take a lot of development effort that doesn't help the ultimate goal.
Their plan involves moving all payloads to the BFR, a reusable spaceship that could be more economical than throwing away a small rocket on every launch.
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
edited 3 hours ago
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
answered 3 hours ago
Hobbes
85.5k2241386
85.5k2241386
add a comment |
add a comment |
They already dipped their toes in that, it was called Falcon 1. Basically they didn't find enough demand to justify keeping it around. Granted today there is more of a demand for such then there was in the past, but...
The ultimate solution will be Starship (BFR). The estimated cost of a single launch is about $6 million. An Electron rocket costs $5 million. The amount of payload that Starship can take to LEO is VASTLY larger then an Electron rocket.
As for the $5.5 billion market size, that would include building and launching them. Let's say there is 100 launches per year, that would only come to a $1 billion launch cost of total launches per year. They could do it, but there is a limit to how much engineering they can do, and it is more worth their while to go after the bigger fishes of Starlink and Starship.
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
add a comment |
They already dipped their toes in that, it was called Falcon 1. Basically they didn't find enough demand to justify keeping it around. Granted today there is more of a demand for such then there was in the past, but...
The ultimate solution will be Starship (BFR). The estimated cost of a single launch is about $6 million. An Electron rocket costs $5 million. The amount of payload that Starship can take to LEO is VASTLY larger then an Electron rocket.
As for the $5.5 billion market size, that would include building and launching them. Let's say there is 100 launches per year, that would only come to a $1 billion launch cost of total launches per year. They could do it, but there is a limit to how much engineering they can do, and it is more worth their while to go after the bigger fishes of Starlink and Starship.
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
add a comment |
They already dipped their toes in that, it was called Falcon 1. Basically they didn't find enough demand to justify keeping it around. Granted today there is more of a demand for such then there was in the past, but...
The ultimate solution will be Starship (BFR). The estimated cost of a single launch is about $6 million. An Electron rocket costs $5 million. The amount of payload that Starship can take to LEO is VASTLY larger then an Electron rocket.
As for the $5.5 billion market size, that would include building and launching them. Let's say there is 100 launches per year, that would only come to a $1 billion launch cost of total launches per year. They could do it, but there is a limit to how much engineering they can do, and it is more worth their while to go after the bigger fishes of Starlink and Starship.
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
They already dipped their toes in that, it was called Falcon 1. Basically they didn't find enough demand to justify keeping it around. Granted today there is more of a demand for such then there was in the past, but...
The ultimate solution will be Starship (BFR). The estimated cost of a single launch is about $6 million. An Electron rocket costs $5 million. The amount of payload that Starship can take to LEO is VASTLY larger then an Electron rocket.
As for the $5.5 billion market size, that would include building and launching them. Let's say there is 100 launches per year, that would only come to a $1 billion launch cost of total launches per year. They could do it, but there is a limit to how much engineering they can do, and it is more worth their while to go after the bigger fishes of Starlink and Starship.
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
answered 28 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
79.4k16226436
79.4k16226436
add a comment |
add a comment |
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The cost of a rocket does not scale linearly with payload mass. The cost and weight for electronics will be about the same for a smaller rocket. Therefore using the same rocket for launch of many small satellites together may be cheaper. Using the same launch vehicle instead of developing a new one saves a lot of money.
– Uwe
2 hours ago