Because they launch these alongside paying customer payloads.
Starlink is FAR from the only thing they launch. A customer pays for a payload, and any volume or mass left over in the launch is filled with small starkink sats.
They have basically $0 on launch costs because of this. They just toss them in when they have someone else paying for the rocket.
FaceDeer@kbin.social 8 months ago
Because they launch them in large batches using a reusable rocket, so it doesn't actually cost much. They did work out the economics of Starlink before they started building the system.
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Also, most of their starlink launches are done when someone else is paying for a launch too. Rarely do they have a launch that doesn’t have mass or volume left over, and they just shove starlink sats into that as a secondary payload.
Elon is dumb as fuck with a lot of decisions, but Gwen shotwell knows what the fuck she’s doing.
ThePrivacyPolicy@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
This is incorrect unless you’re providing a source. I follow several space need sites and they do dedicated launches. Here’s an article even showing the payload setup - which fills the cargo bay. spaceflightnow.com/…/next-spacex-launch-to-deploy…
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
When they worked out those details they also thought they would have 20,000,000 subscribers before now and not just 2,000,000
FaceDeer@kbin.social 8 months ago
They are nevertheless already profitable, and they haven't even begun using Starship to launch satellites yet.
sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
All that sweet gov’t funding doesn’t hurt the bottom line.
zoe@infosec.pub 8 months ago
i thought why didn’t they just use Falcon Heavy (64 of payload to LEO) but it seems to be too risky and costly (99million$ per launch?, cost in house probably (factual number) 60 million? ). On the other hand, a Falcon 9 (22 tons to LEO, would cost 35 million $ in house (factual) ), but launching and spreading the payload among 3 separate F9’s is less risky and costly than launching aboard the FH, i wonder how much Starship would save on launches