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SpaceX Sets Feb. 24th Target Date For Next Launch
Rei writes: After some consternation about the pacing of Falcon 9 upgrades, SpaceX has announced that it plans to launch again from Cape Canaveral with a target date of February 24th. While the primary mission will be to place the SES-9 communications satellite in orbit, this will also mark their fourth attempt to land the first stage on an autonomous drone ship, after their last launch touched down softly but fell over when one leg failed to latch. SpaceX is working to significantly accelerate the rate of production and launches — they are reportedly moving the factory from 6-8 cores produced per year to 18 at present, and expect to reach 30 by the end of the year. After the upcoming launch, they expect to launch one rocket every two to three weeks.
Not seeing the connection. Somebody's going to be launching satellites either way, whether it's SpaceX or a competitor.
Also, don't confuse cores with launches. The Falcon Heavy is three cores. Of course, offsetting that, there's the potential for reuse of rockets...
We should start dealing in those black-market beagles.
One of the things SpaceX and others are emphasizing for "the future" is small, expendable cubesats in LEO, e.g. for SpaceX's Internet plan. This is low enough that atmospheric drag brings things down relatively quickly. If launch costs are low enough, and SpaceX's satellite factory and general commoditization of satellite components keeps progressing, this could be beneficial as far as the space debris problem is concerned.