SpaceX completed static fire tests and is targeting November 11, 2019 for a launch of 60 production Starlink satellites.
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting 11/11 for launch of 60 Starlink satellites from Pad 40 in Florida
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 5, 2019
The SpaceX Starlink Launch Timing
SpaceX launched 60 Starlink 0.9 prototypes in a Falcon 9.
The 60 Starlink v0.9 satellites, launched May 2019, have the following characteristics:
Flat-panel design with multiple high-throughput antennas and a single solar array
Mass: 227 kg (500 lb)
Hall-effect thrusters using krypton as the reaction mass, for position adjustment on orbit, altitude maintenance and deorbit
SpaceX plans 24 Starlink launches in 2020 and could have 4 launches in 2019.
This would mean that by the end of 2020, SpaceX would have about 1600 Starlink satellites in orbit. SpaceX could lose 80 (5%).
Starlink Business
SpaceX and Elon Musk will be made financially secure by 2023 via the Starlink satellites. They should have the $20 billion per year budget of NASA. If Elon has a 30X on his 54% share of SpaceX, then with Elon would have 30 times $10 billion in 2024 (50% of $20 billion in 2024). This means Elon would be worth over $300 billion without including any valuation for Tesla.
If Tesla still had any financial issues, Elon would be able to lend money from SpaceX to Tesla by late 2020 or 2021. Elon used Tesla to buyout Solarcity. In 2018, financial analysts speculated that Elon could his SpaceX stake as collateral in a buyout of Tesla. If SpaceX is worth $100 billion late in 2020 and then $200 billion in 2021, Elon would easily be able to fund a Tesla buyout with his $54 billion and then $108 billion of SpaceX (versus about $15 billion today).
Laser light communication in a vacuum is physically 45% faster than communication through a fiber.
SpaceX will start generating substantial revenue in 2020 equal or slightly exceeding launch revenue. This was based upon 2017 SpaceX revenue projections from a 2017 Wall Street Journal article.
More photos from last night’s Starlink launch → https://t.co/095WHX44BX pic.twitter.com/u9rnacEz6O
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 24, 2019
Falcon 9 launches 60 Starlink satellites to orbit – targeting up to 6 Starlink launches this year and will accelerate our cadence next year to put ~720 satellites in orbit for continuous coverage of most populated areas on Earth pic.twitter.com/HF8bCI4JQD
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 24, 2019
SOURCES – SpaceX, FCC, ITU, wikipedia, Wall Street Journal
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com
Crew Dragon Parachute Test Success
The SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon. Most recent test demonstrated the parachute system’s ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails.
SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon. Most recent test demonstrated the parachute system’s ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails. pic.twitter.com/VJzDeS8UAG
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 3, 2019
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.