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Rough luck. Sounds like no real risk or huge loss though. Imagine any other company on earth losing 40 satellites at a time and shrugging it off. That would

Rough luck. Sounds like no real risk or huge loss though. Imagine any other company on earth losing 40 satellites at a time and shrugging it off. That would bankrupt most space companies (except for maybe Planet). SpaceX is really working at different orders of magnitude here.

billfruit 5y ago
May be OneWeb too.
Dylan16807 5y ago
I think the correct comparison is losing one launch. Most companies could handle that fine. That's what insurance is for.
- fastball 5y ago
  Huh, I've never thought about insurance for stuff like this. Do you think this was covered?
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    It would be tricky and expensive to insure so many of their own launches so I'd guess no.
  - shagie 5y ago
    My favorite story of satellite insurance is HGS-1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAS-22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAS-22 > However, a failure of the Blok DM-2M fourth stage left it stranded in a highly inclined (51.6°) and elliptical orbit, although still fully functional. It was declared a total loss by its insurers. > The satellite was transferred to Hughes Global Services Inc., which was then a subsidiary of Hughes Space and Communications, with an agreement to share any profits with the consortium of 27 insurers. > Edward Belbruno and Rex Ridenoure heard about the problem and proposed a 3–5 month low-energy transfer trajectory that would swing past the Moon and leave the satellite in geostationary orbit around the Earth. Hughes had no ability to track the satellite at such a distance and considered this trajectory concept unworkable. Instead, Hughes used an Apollo-style free-return trajectory that required only a few days to complete, a trajectory designed and subsequently patented by Hughes Chief Technologist Jerry Salvatore. This maneuver removed only 40° of orbital inclination and left the satellite in a geosynchronous orbit, whereas the Belbruno maneuver would have removed all 51° of inclination and left it in geostationary orbit. > ... > These operations consumed most of the satellite's propellant, but still much less than it would take to remove the inclination without the Moon-assist manoeuvres. With the remaining fuel, the satellite could be controlled as a geosynchronous satellite, with half the life of a normal satellite – a huge gain, considering that it had been declared a total loss. The satellite was then maneuvered to geosynchronous orbit at 158° West. This ended up being the first lunar mission involving a communications satellite and the first lunar mission from a non-government entity. Watching the orbit on the wikipedia page is wild.

billfruit 5y ago

May be OneWeb too.

Dylan16807 5y ago

I think the correct comparison is losing one launch. Most companies could handle that fine. That's what insurance is for.

fastball 5y ago
Huh, I've never thought about insurance for stuff like this. Do you think this was covered?
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  It would be tricky and expensive to insure so many of their own launches so I'd guess no.
- shagie 5y ago
  My favorite story of satellite insurance is HGS-1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAS-22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAS-22 > However, a failure of the Blok DM-2M fourth stage left it stranded in a highly inclined (51.6°) and elliptical orbit, although still fully functional. It was declared a total loss by its insurers. > The satellite was transferred to Hughes Global Services Inc., which was then a subsidiary of Hughes Space and Communications, with an agreement to share any profits with the consortium of 27 insurers. > Edward Belbruno and Rex Ridenoure heard about the problem and proposed a 3–5 month low-energy transfer trajectory that would swing past the Moon and leave the satellite in geostationary orbit around the Earth. Hughes had no ability to track the satellite at such a distance and considered this trajectory concept unworkable. Instead, Hughes used an Apollo-style free-return trajectory that required only a few days to complete, a trajectory designed and subsequently patented by Hughes Chief Technologist Jerry Salvatore. This maneuver removed only 40° of orbital inclination and left the satellite in a geosynchronous orbit, whereas the Belbruno maneuver would have removed all 51° of inclination and left it in geostationary orbit. > ... > These operations consumed most of the satellite's propellant, but still much less than it would take to remove the inclination without the Moon-assist manoeuvres. With the remaining fuel, the satellite could be controlled as a geosynchronous satellite, with half the life of a normal satellite – a huge gain, considering that it had been declared a total loss. The satellite was then maneuvered to geosynchronous orbit at 158° West. This ended up being the first lunar mission involving a communications satellite and the first lunar mission from a non-government entity. Watching the orbit on the wikipedia page is wild.