SpaceX in financial trouble

[clearspira]

https://eu.statesman.com/story/business ... 825474002/

So here's an interesting one: SpaceX is facing bankruptcy if it cannot launch a spaceship full of paying customers at least every two weeks. Which it currently is not doing.

And this should not be surprising. Space flight is currently only for the super rich. As in, even a low millionaire does not have the money.

https://www.space.com/tom-hanks-says-no ... ace-launch

Here is Tom Hanks revealing that he turned down the spaceflight that William Shatner went on as he would have had to spend $28 million for the privilege. Even for Hanks that isn't pocket change (which also shows you just how rich Shatner is but I digress).
Once you run out of super rich people then you have run out of customers.

[TGLS]

https://eu.statesman.com/story/business ... 825474002/

So here's an interesting one: SpaceX is facing bankruptcy if it cannot launch a spaceship full of paying customers at least every two weeks. Which it currently is not doing.

And this should not be surprising. Space flight is currently only for the super rich. As in, even a low millionaire does not have the money.

A few things:
1) They're having production problems with this big new rocket that's aiming to get the price per pound to orbit down a lot.
2) There's more than people in terms of cargo. One of the other advantages of getting the big rocket working is that it will make it cheaper to set up satellite internet.

Even for Hanks that isn't pocket change (which also shows you just how rich Shatner is but I digress).

I think it has more to do with Shatner being over 90 years old.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Good to see another of Elon's bad ideas failing. Shame it was propped up with so much government money though.

[Madner Kami]

A few things:
1) They're having production problems with this big new rocket that's aiming to get the price per pound to orbit down a lot.

That's not quite correct. What they are having troubles with is, producing enough engines to meet their deadlines, namely the "Raptor"-variant. Hardly surprising, given they somehow thought they can magic up one such engine per day by this time... But hey, just another Elon Musk pipe-dream going up in flames. Or rather, not going up in flames this time around.

2) There's more than people in terms of cargo. One of the other advantages of getting the big rocket working is that it will make it cheaper to set up satellite internet.

Oh right, Elon's personal Kessler Syndrome waiting to happen to carry his name into the caged-onto-Earth future of mankind. I ain't bothered by that particular project failing.

[Draco Dracul]

It's almost like privatizing the space industry was a bad idea that just lets the richest man in the world steal billions of dollars from the American Public.

[TGLS]

A few things:
1) They're having production problems with this big new rocket that's aiming to get the price per pound to orbit down a lot.

That's not quite correct. What they are having troubles with is, producing enough engines to meet their deadlines, namely the "Raptor"-variant. Hardly surprising, given they somehow thought they can magic up one such engine per day by this time... But hey, just another Elon Musk pipe-dream going up in flames. Or rather, not going up in flames this time around.

/shrug
If someone said, "car manufacturers are experiencing production troubles" in reference to the semiconductor shortage, it wouldn't be entirely accurate but it wouldn't be entirely wrong either. When the engines are being manufactured by the same company as the producer of the finished product, I think calling it a production problem is fairly reasonable, or at least more so than calling it a demand problem.

2) There's more than people in terms of cargo. One of the other advantages of getting the big rocket working is that it will make it cheaper to set up satellite internet.

Oh right, Elon's personal Kessler Syndrome waiting to happen to carry his name into the caged-onto-Earth future of mankind. I ain't bothered by that particular project failing.

I just wanted to provide an example of "not sending millionaires on glorified vomit comets".

[Mickey_Rat15]

It's almost like privatizing the space industry was a bad idea that just lets the richest man in the world steal billions of dollars from the American Public.

SpaceX can at least get crew and supplies to the space station. NASA's regular contract for developing a manned vehicle with Boeing is way over budget and behind schedule with myriad design problems.

[Mickey_Rat15]

https://eu.statesman.com/story/business ... 825474002/

So here's an interesting one: SpaceX is facing bankruptcy if it cannot launch a spaceship full of paying customers at least every two weeks. Which it currently is not doing.

And this should not be surprising. Space flight is currently only for the super rich. As in, even a low millionaire does not have the money.

https://www.space.com/tom-hanks-says-no ... ace-launch

Here is Tom Hanks revealing that he turned down the spaceflight that William Shatner went on as he would have had to spend $28 million for the privilege. Even for Hanks that isn't pocket change (which also shows you just how rich Shatner is but I digress).
Once you run out of super rich people then you have run out of customers.

Shatner rode Blue Origin, Bezo's outfit, not SpaceX.

[clearspira]

https://eu.statesman.com/story/business ... 825474002/

So here's an interesting one: SpaceX is facing bankruptcy if it cannot launch a spaceship full of paying customers at least every two weeks. Which it currently is not doing.

And this should not be surprising. Space flight is currently only for the super rich. As in, even a low millionaire does not have the money.

https://www.space.com/tom-hanks-says-no ... ace-launch

Here is Tom Hanks revealing that he turned down the spaceflight that William Shatner went on as he would have had to spend $28 million for the privilege. Even for Hanks that isn't pocket change (which also shows you just how rich Shatner is but I digress).
Once you run out of super rich people then you have run out of customers.

Shatner rode Blue Origin, Bezo's outfit, not SpaceX.

But the cost cannot be that different. In fact if it is, that is even more proof that SpaceX isn't cost effective.

[Draco Dracul]

It's almost like privatizing the space industry was a bad idea that just lets the richest man in the world steal billions of dollars from the American Public.

SpaceX can at least get crew and supplies to the space station. NASA's regular contract for developing a manned vehicle with Boeing is way over budget and behind schedule with myriad design problems.

I'm not sure how that actually contradicts my point. Unless Boeing suddenly became a government owned corporation like USPS when I wasn't looking.

Personally I think we should just use a Soyuz copy or derivative, it's a proven reliable technology that you could then tweak and improve on as necessary.