Europe Reluctantly Chooses SpaceX to Launch Its GPS Satellites::Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to undertake its first launch of European satellites equipped with classified technology, specifically for the Galileo system.

  • silencioso@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    In 20 years, the EU have spent 10 billion in taxpayer money to send only 26 satellites to orbit (almost 400 million each). A SpaceX Falcon 9 can send almost 10 Galileo satellites to MEO at once for 62 million. So the question is not why they are hiring SpaceX now but why haven’t they used SpaceX before?

    (Falcon 9’s capacity to MEO is 8,000 kg, and the typical Galileo satellite weighs 738 kg).

    • LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch
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      1 year ago

      Because the goal of the government isn’t to turn a profit. Ideally, government funded needs should be used to create jobs in the country or region that government is in charge of.

      If everyone switched to SpaceX for their launches, then they’d be handing a monopoly to Elon, and nobody wants that. Instead they need to be funding their own space program and drive down the costs to be competitive with SpaceX so they can be self sufficient.

      It’s a problem that they need to use SpaceX right now, for several reasons.

    • Toine@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      The launch costs of Galileo satellites were much cheaper than 400 millions per satellite. The budget you mention covers the global development, deployment and continuous operation of the project.

    • barsoap@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      SpaceX is still overall bleeding money, kept afloat by more suckers buying into it as well as the US government overpaying for launches.