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They are so many years ahead that it is a totally different league (and will stay this way for many years). By the time other launch providers get to reusabili

They are so many years ahead that it is a totally different league (and will stay this way for many years). By the time other launch providers get to reusability SpaceX will probably be already flying Starship, decreasing price even further along with other advancements.

adolph 6y ago
RocketLab is getting pretty close. It’s a different size class, but they seem to be getting close. https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1362116590863409152?s=20 https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1362116590863409152?s=2...
- chasd00 6y ago
  A great thing rocket lab has done is demonstrate the feasibility of electric fuel pumps which dramatically simplify rocket engine design. Raptor is a breakthrough work of art obviously but the Rutherford engine lowers the barrier to entry for at least beginning the propulsion conversation.
  - adolph 6y ago
    The idea of electric fuel pumps is certainly interesting and I guess it works for Rocket Lab, but the idea of tossing out batteries as you gain altitude [0] just feels wrong. Maybe batteries are an intermediate step to decoupling the fuel pump from the turbo part, like the M-B F1 tech [1]? 0. https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/24570/what-was-ejected-from-rocketlabs-electron-launch-vehicle-at-t625-during-stage https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/24570/what-was-eje... 1. https://www.thedrive.com/news/34152/how-mercedes-amg-will-use-electric-turbos-from-f1-to-kill-lag-in-road-cars https://www.thedrive.com/news/34152/how-mercedes-amg-will-us...
- mlindner 6y ago
  The CEO of RocketLab has stated explicitly that they can't compete with SpaceX on price for SpaceX's rideshare launches.