12/14/2023 0 Comments Jeff bezos rocket tiktok![]() That pushed the Vulcan’s first test flight back to the first quarter of 2023. Need for SpeedĬlose launch competitors like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have suffered delays: An engine for the ULA Vulcan rocket scheduled for delivery in 2018 was just delivered in late October- four years late. doesn’t want to be beaten to human planetary exploration by China, Russia or another foreign adversary. “We've definitely seen a rise in NASA funding and Space Force funding in the last five years.” Furthermore, Chopard noted that geopolitical tensions have NASA eager to bolster its portfolio, hinting that the U.S. “10 years ago, when NASA decided to trust SpaceX or others, and give a large amount of contracts to more risky and private companies with the vision that these guys will provide cheaper access to space,” Starburst Aerospace CEO Francois Chopard said at a conference last week. Keen to avoid another Challenger disaster, it’s no wonder that when awarding contracts, NASA is always looking at the safety record and history of its potential partners.Īnd so far, SpaceX is coming out ahead. “Because if SpaceX can be a lot more cost effective per kilogram as compared to ULA, why would the government go with them?” Not a Shabby Track Record SpaceX’s rise “has caused a reason for people to look again at how they develop launch vehicles,” Sangupta continued. Earlier this year, Sangupta and I spoke about SpaceX’s ever-growing reach and she noted that it’s clear the United Launch Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin) is struggling to compete. “Because SpaceX was able to come in and disrupt the launch vehicle market, initially starting off with smaller launches but now competing directly with the larger launch vehicles, it's lit a fire under the the mega-companies, oh, we can't be as competitive with them at this scale anymore, because able to be more cost effective,” explained Anita Sangupta, a rocket scientist and JPL alumni. It consistently out-bids other competitors and can deliver more for less capital, something that space experts are always keen to mention. Since its inception SpaceX has won over the feds, proving that it can deliver reliable missions at a fraction of the cost that larger players need. ![]() “Price is one of the key evaluation factors in the proposal selection process,” NASA Human Landing System program executive Nantel Suzuki told me today, noting that NASA now offers “firm” fixed-price contracts in a bid to save money. relied on Russian Soyuz rockets but the government was eager to have a domestic partner (for, uh, reasons that are more apparent now than ever). In 2011, when the government retired the space shuttle, they all but gave up on maintaining their own crafts. The government gave up on maintaining its own crafts in 2011, with the retirement of the space shuttle. It’s All About the MoneyĪll launch decisions boil down to funding. Let’s get into a few reasons why SpaceX has become the dominant competitor for NASA’s missions, and, crucially, if the industry thinks that’s a good thing. ![]() ![]() It also added to SpaceX’s $2.9 billion contract to build the lunar lander: In November NASA awarded SpaceX an additional $1.15 billion to keep developing its Starship human landing system with the goal of “long-term human exploration of the Moon.” Simply put, NASA is investing billions into SpaceX and will continue to do so. Last month, NASA announced it was expanding SpaceX’s role as an Artemis contractor, adding a second crewed landing demonstration in 2027. But lately, Musk’s firm has a vice grip on the government, which remains confident in him despite recent public debacles at his other ventures. Sure, SpaceX still has competitors – from local upstarts looking to cheapen launch costs through innovative rockets, like Rocket Lab or Relativity Space, to established industry titans like the United Launch Alliance (ULA). And after a recent story in the New York Times that examined SpaceX’s growing influence on the aerospace industry, it’s a question worth further investigation. How did the American space program become so reliant on one single private company? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself since 2018 when I first began reporting on the local aerospace industry. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene. This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. ![]()
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