” We are not in the same world. » The French space agency removed an executive from the management of the National Center for Space Studies (Cnes). Indeed, no space company has ever been so powerful. At the start of December, the company was valued at $350 billion (€336 billion), due in 2022, more than double from a year earlier.
It’s a space company and a record for everything. PortPort Believing in it SpaceXSpaceX Will continue to grow rapidly. SpaceX has succeeded in fully enforcing its standards.EcosystemEcosystem. By developing everything in-house, the company is independent from other players, who are outmoded. The eyesThe eyes Many people’s (or old place), but who are above all in crisis.
Extreme dominance of the pitcher
This year, the Falcon 9 rocket will have taken off more than 130 times, a crazy record that represents more than half of the launches in the world! Next year, SpaceX aims for between 150 and 180 flights. Starship has made a lot of progress and SpaceX plans to launch 400 in 4 years! An aggressive desire that stifles both all competition and all initiative.
At this rate, SpaceX is making Falcon 9 reuse profitable. StarlinkStarlink. This internal support makes it possible to keep the price below that of any other launcher, and valuable availability in contexts marked by extensive delays of new generation launchers (VulcanVulcanAriane 6, H-III in Japan) and the absence of rockets SoyuzSoyuz. This greatly benefited the Europeans.
Finally, maintaining transporter flights (in spacebus mode that carry dozens of small satellites at once) is an opportunity for SpaceX to capture a good portion of this market from developing companies. Small launchersSmall launchers Hoping to become rivals in return. With Starship, SpaceX could do well. How to work This time to silence all competition.
Master of orbits, satellite manufacturing and trendsetter
Along with Starlink, SpaceX has built more satellites than anyone else in the world, and two-thirds of the 10,000 are currently operational. This process allows SpaceX to be very flexible. Low price. The Pentagon has expressed interest and has already launched more than a hundred Starshields (spy satellites for NRO) into orbit. Star links communicate with each other today. LaserLaser And no longer via radio (better speedspeed), an innovative technique that became standard overnight at SpaceX.
Above all, SpaceX created a market that didn’t exist: low-orbit telecommunications. Demand is exploding, fueled by the absence of 5 g5 g In certain regions and in certain areas of the world, submarine cables are at risk. Starlink has more than 5 million individual customers and many large customers, such as cruise lines and airlines, including United Airlines and the windthe wind France. SpaceX even offers a direct connection with phones ((Direct-to-Sale). The service is also being widely tested in New Zealand.
After starting the fashion for a reusable commercial launcher, SpaceX launched a satellite. Stackable » (compact and flat for maximum stacking under the launcher fairing) updating space telecommunications, dozens of competing projects worldwide, such as Amazon’s Capersat, Guowang and G60 in China, or Iris² in Europe. This trend then raised the question of overpopulation of satellites in orbit. Again, SpaceX is a good student at executing anti-collision maneuvers by a much tighter margin than others.
Dominating human spaceflight
Here too SpaceX has established itself admirably with its Dragon cargo ships to resupply the ISS and its ships. Crew DragonCrew Dragon for AstronautAstronaut Of NASANASA. Pots are still sold privately today. Space tourismSpace tourism Programs with Axiom Space, orAstronautAstronaut Privately by partnering with Polaris Dawn or the manufacturer Space stationSpace station Private waste, to replace International Space StationInternational Space Station. Additionally, SpaceX will design and pilot the ISS deorbit vehicle.
with the program PolarisPolarisSpaceX was able to train itself to pilot its space missions alone, and manage their transparency when something unexpected happened. SpaceX became the first company to experiment with space suits. If it wanted, the company could position itself as a provider of space missions, and thus replace agencies that are now considered obsolete.
Mars in the viewfinder
Outside the “box”. startstart », SpaceX has become a true American industrial empire, mainly thanks to the vision of its founder Elon MuskElon Musk. He created SpaceX to colonize Mars. It’s not just a figure. stylestyle To attract the wrong people. Musk believes deeply in this, as does his entire team. Musk is keen to personally investigate any candidate for a key position at SpaceX for their faith in the project.
The art of casting is an undeniable musk craft, as evidenced in the book. Lift off By Eric Berger (Journalist) Ars TechnicaAt the launch of SpaceX. Musk quickly managed to capture the best who were willing to give him their all. More recently, he recruited several former NASA directors of human spaceflight. Obviously, the idea of working to colonize Mars has attracted more than one dreamer.
Statue of Space Victory
Announcing his Mars plans, Musk attracted space lovers around the world (even in China!) During the first recruiting session at Starbase, the crowd was festive. Despite revelations of extreme working conditions, young people came from all over to work on the starship. Many also used their early careers at SpaceX as a springboard. Dozens of ex-employees have founded their own startups.
Americans love the idea of conquering Mars. Many people have believed this for a long time. In his book i weightlessnessweightlessness (Editions Michel Lafon), former French astronaut Philip PerrinPhilip Perrin 13 I remember on his arrival.e In 1990, a group of NASA astronauts were told that one of them would set foot on the Earth of the Red Planet. In the same culture of absurd deadlines, Musk is now proposing the first manned mission to Mars within four years.
Through Trump’s rally, Musk sought to unite all Americans around his Mars project. And he worked despite his views as hegemonic, his transphobic bent, his dubious relationship with Putin, and his first prize as a conspirator: he had mocked them before, today he It is the engine of their expansion. With Trump in power, Musk joins his government team, which now promises good days for SpaceX and Mars colonization.
Replace NASA?
The US space agency has reviewed its Mars strategy, but still aims to return. LoanLoan Earlier in this giant Mars dream, NASA is the guarantor of reality and the guarantor of astronaut safety. But will Trump and Musk, with their friend Jared Isaacman as future director, be ready to get NASA back into the atmosphere? ApolloApollo Where is the justification for everything?
In any case, it was planned to deal with any challenge to NASA. Anti-Musk is planned to be purged while the billionaire audits the agency’s budget performance. This calls into question the very expensive SLS that will launch the Artemis mission astronauts. But we can also imagine that going to Mars would be nothing more than a service of which the state would be a client, and SpaceX would be the ideal provider. Then NASA’s efficacy will be questioned, except for signing the check…
