Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Their launch costs are orders of magnitude lower than anything their competitors are paying, so it stands to reason their service costs can be a lot lower too.

It also sounds like they're mass producing the Starlink sats for a fraction the price of "regular space".




they are not an order of magnitude lower. when you make comments like that you're not trying to have a serious dialogue.


How much are spaceX paying for a launch?

How much does Immarsat of Iridium pay for a launch?


SpaceX sells a launch to customers for $50-70M. they make an estimated 10-30% profit, depending on your source and whether the rocket is reused. that is nowhere near an order of magnitude.


Just FYI GTO sats' launch costs on the higher end of that range when buying from SpaceX (if not higher), while Starlink launches had internal cost 30M BEFORE current very high launch rate, which will bring costs down more.

So not quite an order of magnitude, but 5 times difference in launch costs should already be achievable.

And Starship will bring another 5-10 times cost reduction when measured per kg, even when you assume pessimistic mass margins and costs / launch rates.


the only data I'm aware of has a starlink launch around $25M, and a geo launch is around $70M. if you have newer numbers please point to the source.

starship won't be around anyone soon, and they need the money now.


Are SpaceX selling launches to Immarsat and Iridium?

Who are they buying launches from? How much are they paying for those launches?


yes, SpaceX sells launches to anyone who will buy them since it's their only profitable business at the moment. this is why viasat is using them to launch this year or next. I just gave you the cost, and it's public on their website too.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: