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Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

reuters.com

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Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#71

Post by nickik »

shaklee3 wrote: post #63
nickik wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, making debt is not a problem. Its inevitable. We are talking about a new mass production facility for satellites. I have also read many people that SpaceX tech is ahead of everybody else in a number of areas. Not to mention that they can launch way cheaper then everybody else. There were claims that they had propulsion problems and that might be true but we don't really know.

Where did you read that? The article specifically stated he wants less complicated satellites, and most of their technology is not in-house. SpaceX isn't making space-grade rf equipment with 300 people.

Not everything technical they do is done at that location. SpaceX has between 6000 and 7000 people. SpaceX already does lots of in-house electronics, for Falcon 9 and of course Dragon.

They have the propulsion system in-house and I think I have also read that they are doing the ground terminals themselves.

Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#72

Post by rfdave »

shaklee3 wrote: post #61
staticfloat wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my antenna design course in graduate school, our Professor had insider information about the specifications the Starlink people were targeting for their mobile ground stations. He gave designing a similar antenna system as one of the final projects for the course. The exact numbers aren't important (nor are they really a tight secret; if you are well-versed in antenna design I imagine you could spend 10 minutes an…

Are you saying that your class came up with an antenna design that's about 100x cheaper than anything else out there today for leo satellites, and you didn't patent, nor start a company with it? Something is fishy about your story.

Not really. You'd be surprised how easy a LEO link budget is, the free space path loss isn't much more than a cell phone link.

Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#73

Post by staticfloat »

shaklee3 wrote: post #61
staticfloat wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my antenna design course in graduate school, our Professor had insider information about the specifications the Starlink people were targeting for their mobile ground stations. He gave designing a similar antenna system as one of the final projects for the course. The exact numbers aren't important (nor are they really a tight secret; if you are well-versed in antenna design I imagine you could spend 10 minutes an…

Are you saying that your class came up with an antenna design that's about 100x cheaper than anything else out there today for leo satellites, and you didn't patent, nor start a company with it? Something is fishy about your story.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to when you say 100x cheaper. Googling “LEO satellite antenna” will result in plenty of hits that are well below $2000. As I said before, the $20 price point was for manufacturing of the antenna itself (micro strip antennas are very cheap, materials-wise) and so do not include any of the other auxiliary systems needed such as a radio transmitter, an amplifier, etc, although for LEO you dont need to shout very loud to be heard by the satellites.

Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#74

Post by shaklee3 »

rfdave wrote: post #72
shaklee3 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you saying that your class came up with an antenna design that's about 100x cheaper than anything else out there today for leo satellites, and you didn't patent, nor start a company with it? Something is fishy about your story.

Not really. You'd be surprised how easy a LEO link budget is, the free space path loss isn't much more than a cell phone link.

I'm familiar with a link budget. That doesn't have anything to do with how much a phased array antenna costs.

Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#75

Post by shaklee3 »

staticfloat wrote: post #73
shaklee3 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you saying that your class came up with an antenna design that's about 100x cheaper than anything else out there today for leo satellites, and you didn't patent, nor start a company with it? Something is fishy about your story.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to when you say 100x cheaper. Googling “LEO satellite antenna” will result in plenty of hits that are well below $2000. As I said before, the $20 price point was for manufacturing of the antenna itself (micro strip antennas are very cheap, materials-wise) and so do not include any of the other auxiliary systems needed such as a radio transmitter, an amplifier, etc, although for LEO…

I googled it, and didn't find any that were suitable for something anywhere near what SpaceX is doing. Please provide links if you know of some.

Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#76

Post by shaklee3 »

nickik wrote: post #71
shaklee3 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where did you read that? The article specifically stated he wants less complicated satellites, and most of their technology is not in-house. SpaceX isn't making space-grade rf equipment with 300 people.

Not everything technical they do is done at that location. SpaceX has between 6000 and 7000 people. SpaceX already does lots of in-house electronics, for Falcon 9 and of course Dragon. They have the propulsion system in-house and I think I have also read that they are doing the ground terminals themselves.

The article was only about spacex satellites, so that was the context of the thread. I mentioned originally that they're not ahead of other companies in the satellite space. They are definitely ahead in the launch category.

Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources

#77

Post by Animats »

soared wrote: post #68
Animats wrote: post #43

How'd that approach of firing the people who said it wasn't going to happen that fast work out at Tesla?

Looking at how they're doing right now - very well?

What's worrisome is that Tesla was doing pretty well until Musk issued his edict to get the Tesla plant going too fast. Several of his manufacturing execs quit in 2016. They needed another year. It took another year, and Tesla's reputation took a big hit.
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