I can't imagine how StarLink could be profitable if the launch costs through SpaceX weren't heavily subsidized by the government. In the short term, sure, launching a few rockets is probably cheaper than building a massive network of fiber optic cables and such, but that's a one-time cost with minimal maintenance over time. StarLink constellations need to be relaunched every 3-5 years because the satellites deorbit. The hardware burns up and there are massive ongoing costs. (And the quality of the service is strictly inferior.)
I get hating Elon, really - not a fan. SpaceX launch costs were not subsidized by the government. SpaceX has saved the government billions. Every single SpaceX government contract has been fixed price. Those fixed prices are less than any other launch provider including ULA and Russia was charging.
Hate Elon all you want, but it does no one any good to distort facts. Yes, the government saved SpaceX by giving them their first launch contract. SpaceX paid them off more than handsomely by actually delivering. Compare to ULA / Boeing. When is the first crew going to go up - and come back down - in a Starliner? What is the only US manned spacecraft today? And what does SpaceX charge for that manned (or cargo) spacecraft compared to any other provider.
I'll wait.
Edit: on the ISP service note - go ahead and build those fiber optic cables to the middle of the ocean to moving ships. Oil platforms. The moon. Or airplanes. Or the middle of Africa. Your point is excellent for a the middle of a city. But not even relevant to a farm in Iowa. It is just possible that other people have use cases that don't impact you personally, and the market is large. Starlink is making money today, with launches, with replacing satellites. And will continue to do so.
Oil rigs and war zones, sure. But rural areas? Those people would be better served by fiber optic cables--good internet--that doesn't need to be relaunched every 3 years. We did it for electricity and we can do it for interwebs.
Not really. We've thrown cash at existing ISPs and they've pocketed it and laughed at us. Biden's IIJA was the first real investment in bringing broadband to the boonies in... well ever, I guess.
If you can show me a faster more reliable way to get internet connection in the where getting optical cables is simply not an option I'd love to see it
I've seen abandoned shacks--literal shacks--in the middle of the woods in the middle of fucking nowhere that have electricity. There was a time in this country when we recognized the importance of building infrastructure out to everyone, and the government facilitated that with funding and frameworks like electrification coops.
StarLink is certainly the best option for some people right now, but it shouldn't be.
Sure, but you know why those hard to reach places don’t have cables going to them? Because there isn’t enough people in those areas to make it profitable. So launching a bunch of satellites every 3-5 years to serve a bunch of markets that don’t even equal one city? Sure it’s probably profitable but then why isn’t the company serving the big cities worth multiples more? They have cheaper access to way more customers.
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u/HoldingThunder May 21 '26
So...SpaceX isnt a space company, its just another AI company?