SpaceX is the only launch provider and satellite operator that is progressing at a rapid pace and driving costs down.
tell that to any project that has had their budget slashed or out right canceled because somebody thought their project was a waste of money. every contractor is bidding unless your name is Halliburton. what's the famous astronaut quote about sitting on top of a rocket built by the lowest bidding contractor?
Their contracts aren't in defense...
In the west the Rocketlab Neutron partial RLV and planned Stokes Space full RLV stand out.
And maybe in a few decades even Arianespace will end up with a Falcon 9 class vehicle! ;-)
Always a good answer. ;-)
There have been 11 test launches of starship. You might've missed the last one because it didn't do anything new, except shedding parts and exploding less. There's a pretty good chance that program will never beat the cost of Falcon Heavy, or that the technology, like multiple refueling flights to get beyond low Earth orbit, is ever made workable.
It survived that - did that entire "simulated landing" burn and all.
In terms of "free cash flow" expectations, are you aware that approximately 90% of "space" revenue and profit comes from satellite telecom services, with launch services accounting for about 10% of the mix? SpaceX's development of a telecommunications constellation (Starlink) is highly consistent with historical industry patterns of what makes profit in space.
https://brycetech.com/reports/report-documents/global_satell...
