Post

WIRED
@wired.com

More than 100 satellites have been launched from China since August for two broadband networks that could eventually rival the service from Elon Musk's SpaceX. But progress is hampered by launch bottlenecks and high failure rates.

wrd.cmChina’s Effort to Build a Competitor to Starlink Is Off to a Bumpy StartChina has launched over 100 satellites for two broadband networks that could eventually rival the service from Elon Musk's SpaceX, but progress is hampered by launch bottlenecks and high failure…

26 reposts138 likes

Z
@zeph0.bsky.social

Look, I'm no fan of Elon Musk, but SpaceX has been using an advantage government-run agencies just don't have. They have essentially as much funding as Elon feels like giving them, and they use it to completely destroy every hurdle. Lose a rocket, build two more; and no constituents to answer to.

Z
@zeph0.bsky.social

Making this point because for years now it's annoyed me almost as much that people don't understand why SpaceX operates the way it does, as when people don't understand the issue with, say, the fucking border wall.

Z
@zeph0.bsky.social

People have this shockingly inflexible concept of "how the world works" and just apply it to everything, no matter if they actually know anything about the topic or not. A SpaceX rocket explodes and people say "well, when that happens to NASA it means big repercussions, so RIP SpaceX"

Z
@zeph0.bsky.social

And that's just NOT how it works AT ALL. SpaceX WANTS TO BLOW UP THEIR ROCKETS. That's literally what they are TRYING TO DO. NASA and the CNSA WISH they had the freedom to blow up their rockets that SpaceX has. But they DON'T!

Batya Kluger
@batyalee.bsky.social

It’s good SpaceX has competition. But it’s also very concerning that so many powerful countries & corps are separately putting so many satellites & junk into Earth orbit. IMO it seems likely that political & econ disputes & rivalries might lead to justifications for big bad troubles for us all.

taormint.bsky.social
@taormint.bsky.social

Future issue when no world leader is holding themselves to global current international laws or accountability- what’s going to stop countries from blowing up or sabotaging each others satellites? Still will never understand why Biden’s Pentagon gave so much power to Elon to own the stars.