101–110 of 133 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Musk has stated that he has no objections to launching OneWeb's constellation. That may or may not also apply to Kuiper.
Cooperating with Bezos is a different thing though. It would be like nursing an injured rattlesnake back to health.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Space is hard. Even with the best people and resources there is a high probability of failure. The only way forward is to launch -> fail -> learn -> repeat.
Yes, pith aside, everybody knows that space is hard. The GP commenter is arguing that it's odd to write off BO when they are currently in the process of launch -> fail -> learn -> repeat.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, pith aside, everybody knows that space is hard. The GP commenter is arguing that it's odd to write off BO when they are currently in the process of launch -> fail -> learn -> repeat.
but they aren't in that process, they haven't even started it
Bizarre claim. In what way would Starlink have any less access to AWS? Its... the internet > “If Kuiper succeeds, Amazon can not only offer global satellite broadband access—it can include that access as part of its Amazon Web Services (AWS), which already offers resources for cloud computing, machine learning, data analytics, and more”
> In what way would Starlink have any less access to AWS? It’s a distribution advantage. To sign up a new customer, Starlink has to...sign up a new customer. Contracts, configuration, payment details, integration. Kuiper, on the other hand, has to get them to click a button on a dashboard.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In what way would Starlink have any less access to AWS? It’s a distribution advantage. To sign up a new customer, Starlink has to...sign up a new customer. Contracts, configuration, payment details, integration. Kuiper, on the other hand, has to get them to click a button on a dashboard.
Kuiper also needs to figure out how to actually launch to space. I think Starlink can figure out their onboarding customer experience faster than that happens..
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't fully understand the negativity around BO. They haven't gone to orbit yet, and they don't run everything they do as a PR campaign the way that SpaceX does, but getting a rocket to orbit isn't that big of a deal these days. We first achieved orbital flight over 50 years ago, and many different groups have achieved the same since then. Given Bezos' deep pockets, why would BO fail where so many other have succee…
> getting a rocket to orbit isn't that big of a deal these days. There are have only been maybe a dozen LEO+ launch families developed ever, and less than a handful by private companies. There exist only 3 active systems in the same category as New Glenn (Long March 5, Delta IV, Falcon Heavy). Getting anything more than a toy to orbit is _extremely_ difficult, and many have lost untold millions trying to get just a t…
I still think that Bezos can do it if he wants to. If SpaceX were for sale, Bezos could buy them 5 times over (as of their valuation based on their February funding). I have to believe that level of capital could build a company with similar capabilities.
SpaceX has done, and continues to do, incredible work, but their success isn't magical, and it should be repeatable for another company.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> ...BO needs to actually launch something to orbit... And they need start launching soon. FCC rules give Amazon until 2026 to launch and start operating at least 50% of the licensed number of satellites - 1618 satellites - or risk their satellite constellation license annulled. To put this timeframe in context, Blue Origin was founded in 2000 and has yet to achieve a single orbital flight.
If we assume: * BO rocket 2x the cargo size * Satellites same size/weight as starlink 120 sats per launch(vs F9's 60). If they have to launch 1618 by 2026, that means they need 14 launches in 6 years. If they only need 1/2 the 1618, they need 7 launches in 6 years. So I think 7 launches(840 sats) it's still in the realm of possibility, but they have to execute everything pretty much flawlessly to make it happen. They…
Since reliability is going to fundamentally change by that much in order to have massive passenger rockets replacing jet travel, Blue Origin has nothing to worry about. There is a magic invention that is going to completely change the game, and it won't be patented since those aren't worth doing according to Musk.
Musk also said a robo taxi network is coming online this year. He said it will need a bit of winter training but would have that integrated by the end of the year as well. Full level 5, all conditions and scenarios a human can drive in[2]. Steering wheel can be taken off afterwards. Recent news says it is going to be several weeks before they have any sort of object permanence implemented/temporal picture of the scene, but apparently that is all part of the plan.
Unless Tesla and SpaceX have completely alien tech, I'm confident Bezos could do the 6 launches by 6 years.
[1] https://www.vox.com/2018/4/11/17227036/flight-spacex-gwynne-...
In real life, lets be realistic Starlink is something will solve suburb access, also gives them an ability to exercise before Mars/Moon/something_else deployment. The impact on DC will be tiny.
"With Amazon, it’s a whole different ballgame," says Zac Manchester, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University. “The thing that makes Amazon different from SpaceX and OneWeb is they have so much other stuff going for them.” If Kuiper succeeds, Amazon can not only offer global satellite broadband access—it can include that access as part of its Amazon Web Services (AWS), which alrea…
It sounds like marketing for AWS.