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0 pointsnradov1y ago0 comments

That sounds good, until it leaves NASA entirely dependent on SpaceX as a single supplier. For better or worse, there don't seem to be any other companies (old or new) that are able to successfully execute on huge fixed-price contracts.

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nordsieck1y ago

> For better or worse, there don't seem to be any other companies (old or new) that are able to successfully execute on huge fixed-price contracts.

Northrup Grumman seems to be doing a pretty good job with Cygnus. And ULA seems to be doing alright with NSSLv2 (although it sounds like they may have had to give up a launch or two due to Vulcan delays).

Gud1y ago

No, but there will be. Besides SpaceX there is also Rocketlab who has a CEO rocket nerd in charge.

kaliqt1y ago

So that's two nerds total.

Ajedi321y ago

Stoke Space also has a pretty huge rocket nerd at the helm[1]. And of course there's Blue Origin (even though they seem to be taking forever). The industry has been flourishing lately, though (with the possible exception of Blue Origin) it'll be a long time before these younger companies produce anything capable of rivaling Falcon 9, let alone Starship.

[1]: https://everydayastronaut.com/stoke-space/

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wmf1y ago

Sierra and Blue Origin are coming.

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