A lot of interesting discussion in comments. I agree that the biggest difference between this and previous LEO satellite concepts is that he’s solved the launch cost problem, or probably will have when he starts to get them to orbit.
4 thoughts on “Elon’s Satellite Venture”
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A constellation of 4025 satellites! Elon Musk thinks big!
Okay, given the economies of scale, they can, theoretically, get per unit cost way down.
What kind of mass are we talking about, per bird? They’ll have to be fairly powerful, so that means a significant solar array, plus a dish or two. I’m guessing at least half a ton, per bird.
So, to make this work, you’ve got to get 4000 or more tons to orbit? That’s more than 4 times the mass of ISS.
At one ton, you could use a F9 to loft about 12 (due to the dispenser having mass) 1 ton birds, assuming they’d all fit inside the shroud. You’d need 336 launches, at 60 mil per, so launch cost would be 20.1 Billion, minimum. Even if reusability knocks that down to 10 mil per launch, that’s still 3.36 billion in launch costs alone.
I just don’t see how this scheme can work with current launch tech. And if you’ve got 4015 sats with a 10 year lifespan, you’re going to need to launch 403805 every year to keep the constellation running. The only way I can see to do it (Get the constellation lofted and keep it running) would be to use a really big heavy lifter that’s fully reusable, so it has a high flight rate plus dirt cheap cost per pound to orbit. It’d have to be big, freaking enormous in fact…
Oh, as an utterly unrelated aside, SpaceX’s Raptor-powered Methlox Saturn-5-dwarfing BFR (Big freaking rocket) looks like it’s coming along, but as we’ve been asking for a while, what they heck will they use it for? There’s just no demand for that much launch capacity…
You crack me up CJ. I just hope Elon can stay focused on the more important things. He’s really putting together a mars internet but thinking, “I might as well use the concept to add to my wealth here on earth.” Which, looking at comments is apparently evil.
I only wish more evil people were like Elon. Billionaires can sometimes be handy to have.
As a reference the F-1 engine used in Saturn V had three times the thrust. The Energia RD-170 had even more thrust than the F-1.
IMO 500 klbf makes a lot more sense in the current launch market.
It seems the LOX/Methane Raptor engine is not going to be as big as previously said. In a recent Reddit discussion Elon said the optimum engine thrust is around 500 klbf which would place it in the RD-191 class. i.e. around 5x the thrust of a Merlin-1D.