SpaceX First Production Starlink Launch Targets November 11, 2019

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SpaceX completed static fire tests and is targeting November 11, 2019 for a launch of 60 production Starlink satellites.

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).

In capital markets, low latency is the use of algorithmic (programmed) trading to react to market events faster than the competition to increase the profitability of trades. In 2007 a large global investment bank has stated that every millisecond lost results in $100 million per year in lost opportunity.

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.

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.

8 thoughts on “SpaceX First Production Starlink Launch Targets November 11, 2019”

  1. I’m under the impression the satellite transceiver isn’t consumer grade, maybe corporate grade, but general for backhaul for local telecoms. You can’t plant cheap cell towers without fiber infrastructure… until Starlink. There is one early analysis that had gigagit home service estimated at $60/month which would be a big step up for me. If he can pull off any sort of competitiveness I think it will be a huge win SpaceX.

  2. Depends on the cost of the satellite receiver. My suggestion is to provide a receiver for a small area that would use cell signal to server multiple users. And sell phone cards. And maybe sell global access to small cellphone and cable companies.

  3. It is a global system so the potential market is the whole world. I’d switch if it was competitive with my local monopoly provider. I also assume starlink will be a huge factor in transitioning the current couple billion people without cell phones to at least texting and eventually internet service.

  4. Where will all of this Starlink revenue be coming from. I don’t think the market for High Frequency trading will be that great. Most of the players are located in Manhattan across from the NYSE data center in NJ. The other customers will be rural under served customers. Depending on the price point many of them might not be able to afford the service.

  6. Closest would be monitoring the NSF forum thread covering the launch, there will likely be links there for people.

  7. Is there any site that will give fly-over times and places to watch that line of satellites dots going over shortly after launch? Would like to see…

  8. This one also reuses half a fairing from the last Falcon Heavy flight as well.

    CORRECTION It seems to be using both halves?

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