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05-18-2020, 08:25 PM | #2626 |
MVP
Join Date: Aug 2003
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Sorry. I probably should have been clear why I thought this was significant too.
The F9 booster for Starlink 7 has already flown 4 times. 2 paid and 2 Starlink missions. They could easily choose to make it expendable as it has already been more than paid for. Instead they are accepting a significant delay for a date sensitive series of missions. To meet their agreement with the FCC they need to have ~6000 satellites flying in 4 years. That's 100+ launches in 48 months, or 2 launches per month, not including their launch schedule for other customers. Currently they are planning 3 Starlink launches and a GPS 3 launch for the Air Force in June. The next few years are going to be INSANE if they can actually meet that launch cadence. SpaceX changed the landscape for launches with it's reusable platform, and we haven't even seen the half of it yet. Seriously. Over the next 4 years a private company is launching orbital rockets twice a month to blanket the earth with a constellation of 12,000 satellites. That is truly the stuff of science fiction. While I am super excited for DM2 and taking the day off to watch/celebrate, I think that achievement pales in comparison to launching 6000 satellites in 4 years. |
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05-18-2020, 08:36 PM | #2627 |
In Search of a Life
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Location: Confusion, USA
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05-18-2020, 08:53 PM | #2628 |
MVP
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05-19-2020, 04:28 AM | #2629 |
Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
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Posts: 929
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05-19-2020, 07:30 PM | #2630 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
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I ****ing hate politics being injected into science.
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Posts: 80,045
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05-19-2020, 08:00 PM | #2631 | |
(Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Diving
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Quote:
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05-19-2020, 08:14 PM | #2632 |
Supporter
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Location: Hollywood, CA
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05-19-2020, 08:25 PM | #2633 |
Banned
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Location: Annapolis, MD
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05-20-2020, 12:50 AM | #2634 |
Seize life. Be an ermine.
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Location: My house
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05-20-2020, 12:01 PM | #2635 |
Kind of a mod
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Donkey Land
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I guess we'll see how it plays out, but I suspect we may have to get used to weather-related scrubs on manned launches. This is a lot of stuff that has to be right...
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05-20-2020, 12:14 PM | #2636 |
Kind of a mod
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Donkey Land
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This is a nice profile of the two astronauts set to fly next week.
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05-20-2020, 12:19 PM | #2637 |
"Think BOOM!"
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W
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T-7 days |
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05-20-2020, 06:49 PM | #2638 | |
MVP
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Quote:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020...hy-it-matters/ |
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05-20-2020, 07:01 PM | #2639 |
MVP
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05-20-2020, 09:33 PM | #2640 |
Kind of a mod
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