A ULA space launch went off successfully Sunday morning after being pushed back a couple of times. The whole episode shows why SpaceX has such an edge in,...
SpaceX is an amazing firm by many metrics: Valuation, reusable rockets, astronaut transport, and Wi-Fi for Ukraine. One metric that might fly under the radar is capacity. No one can match SpaceX’s ability to carry payload to orbit. It’s a huge scale advantage that Elon Musk’s space company is building on.
The third time was a charm. The second attempt was called off Saturday after an issue was found during a “prelaunch ordnance circuit continuity check.” The first attempt was scrubbed for weather. It’s tough to launch in a tropical storm.Launches get scrubbed. That isn’t a surprise. Space requires incredible precision and caution. Still, ULA has now flown twice in 2023 after flying eight times in 2022.SpaceX has a huge lead even though ULA is no space slouch.
Boeing and ULA also have a contract with NASA to take astronauts to the space station, but Boeing’s Starliner space capsule isn’t fully certified yet. Boeing and SpaceX were awarded the initial contract for crew transport at the same time in 2014. Capacity will eventually be an issue for Kuiper though as it tries to catch Starlink. It’s contracted with three space launch providers to deliver satellites: Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which hasn’t conducted an orbital flight yet, ULA, and Europe’s Arianespace.
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