Quote:
Originally Posted by glend
Russia has kicked off reusable booster development program, and what better design to copy than the SpaceX Falcon 9. I would bet Russia has lost considerable orbital lift business to SpaceX, including transport to the ISS. Musk doesn't seem too worried and has offered suggestions. By the time the Russian booster is ready in 2026, SpaceX will have a large reusable fleet, including the lunar and Martian Starship variants. Cost per lifted ton will continue to drop with SpaceX economies of scale, makes it a tough commercial market to compete. By 2026, SpaceX should have ships on the Moon and Mars (even if just cargo flights initially).
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/10/r...ooks-familiar/ |
Of course he is not worried about this. But at some point, commercial space companies will still compete. Just in a slightly different form. Each niche will be occupied by a specialized company. And this one only paves the way for the rest into a new wonderful world. There are enough bright minds on the planet who are able to do other important things that are not being paid attention to now, but without which we ultimately cannot imagine our life.