When I look at the downfall of Boeing, it gets me wondering, what will happen to SX in 25-40 years when Elon is out of the picture? Will the bean counters start, maximizing profits by cutting corners? Elon is the exception not the rule, in the billionaire Boyz space club. Looks at Bezos for whom space just seems like a part-time hobby.
BO has been around for 25 years and still is yet to place a single thing into orbit. I know supposedly they are close, go ahead and call me skeptical about hitting their launch date. But their track record is, what it is.
Expecting NG to land and reuse their 1st stage booster all on their 1st attempt seems wildly optimistic. Unless I am mistaken I have yet to see even a single static fire or full propellant load of the fully stacked NG. But it is supposed to launch in about 1 month? There is no way they are getting a FAA license, without live testing of the launch infrastructure and giving the FAA time to review everything fully. I think 6 months out from today, is very optimistic. Maybe I missed the live tests?
It is a massive disappointment, I really thought SX and BO would both be pushing each other hard to innovate and drive down the costs. A SX monopoly isn't good for anyone. See my 1st concern in about 25-40 years, when profits start to be the only objective.
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