SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday said that the rocket manufacturing company will put 90% of the world’s payload into orbit this year with its Falcon rocket, if all goes well.
What Happened: Once Starship is at its maximum capability, this will expand to about 99% of all payload to orbit and beyond, Musk said.
“Unless other organizations aim for making life multiplanetary, their payload to orbit will necessarily be in the noise, as there isn't enough to do just launching satellites,” Musk said in a jab to rival launch providers.
Higher Goals, Higher Yields: Musk has previously attributed SpaceX’s achievements in space exploration to its objective of making life multi-planetary.
“The mission of SpaceX is to make life multiplanetary. Even slightly succeeding in that goal results in crushingly good performance to Earth orbit,” Musk said in July. “Countries & companies aim too low. Their lack of ambition is their shortfall.”
As per Bryce tech data, SpaceX launched 1.2 million kg, or about 1,200 tonnes, to orbit in 2023, seconded by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which launched about 112,000 kg. SpaceX’s payload to orbit last year broke the record previously set by the Soviet Union of about 500 tonnes to orbit.
SpaceX, on Thursday, launched its Starship, touted as the world's most powerful launch vehicle, for the third time. The spacecraft traveled the farthest it has traveled to date but broke up while re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere above the Indian Ocean instead of splashing down as planned. The entire flight lasted about an hour.
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