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Every time they do a run-of-the-mill Starlink launch that goes without a hitch, Falcon 9 becomes safer and more valuable. Every time Falcon 9 flies, the necessi
by philistine 4y ago
Every time they do a run-of-the-mill Starlink launch that goes without a hitch, Falcon 9 becomes safer and more valuable. Every time Falcon 9 flies, the necessity for Starship to succeed soon decreases.
- MichaelCollins 4y agoI doubt Starlink is commercially viable in the long run if they don't get Starship operational. The Starlink constellation requires continuous maintenance, replacement of old satellites that have expended their fuel and fall out of LEO a few months later. To do this with Falcon 9 instead of Starship, they need something on the order of 10x more launches, and each time they throw away the second stage. Furthermore the Starlink constellation 'only' has 3,000 satellites so far, but SpaceX has sought approval for 30,000 more than the 12,000 already approved. To launch and maintain a constellation that huge with Falcon 9? It might be commercially viable, but I doubt it, they already have a very rapid launch cadence with Falcon 9 starlink launches and they evidently think they need much more.