Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by refulgentis on Wednesday June 05, 2024 @08:40PM
(#40592223)
This comment is misleading, unintentionally of course.
The comment starts out with "long term high profitability", then offers "bring them 6.6B", and the central proposition of the comment is extremely high Starlink profits allows for free moonshots.
6.6B is a recent revenue projection, not profit.[1]
Their finance people say it's unprofitable, still. (off the record) [2]
Rooting for them and it will be profitable IMHO, but I've never heard any reporting it's profitable.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/1co60j0/starl...
[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-10/is-elon-m...
Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by dylan604 on Wednesday June 05, 2024 @10:17PM
(#40592750)
I don't get the same sense from it you do. It looks to me like they realized they needed more income than launches could get them in the time they needed. Rather than solely depending on investors, they came up with a business that plays to their strength that can be a steady/recurring source of income to be less dependent on investors. I don't see SpaceX so focused on profiting from Starlink that they've lost any momentum towards any of the other SpaceX plans. From where I sit, it looks like a pretty smart play on their part. It also just happens to be a very beneficial service that so many other players in the market refused to do.
Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by refulgentis on Wednesday June 05, 2024 @11:58PM
(#40593311)
"SpaceX’s prized Starlink satellite business is still burning through more cash than it brings in" has a fairly plain meaning! And it's that it's not profitable. I'm not sure I have any sense at all other than relaying content. :)
Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by dylan604 on Thursday June 06, 2024 @01:58AM
(#40593987)
When I read that, I thought it was referring to SpaceX in general not Starlink specific. Reading comprehension let me down yet again
Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by edgyquant on Thursday June 06, 2024 @09:01AM
(#40596864)
But Starlink is profitable so you’re whole point is wrong
Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by refulgentis on Thursday June 06, 2024 @09:35AM
(#40597254)
Source?
Note: I don't have a point, I'm just relying content!
Note #2: *your
Re:Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission
by boringg on Wednesday June 05, 2024 @10:02PM
(#40592674)
Spacex still burning investor cash hence the capital raise recently on the backs of another capital raise. Building rockets is a great way to burn capital and also the end product, when working, is a great goal for humanity.
Starlink was a fantastic way to ensure long term high profitability, and is set to bring them $6.6bn this year alone. For some context the Falcon 9 development costs were estimated by Nasa to be around $300 million, and Starship's development is estimated to going to have cost anywhere from $5-$10 billion by the time its fully operational.
Starlink's profitability is what's going to make it possible for some monumentally huge projects once Starship is in full swing.
In terms of Elons involvement in SpaceX it does seem to be a bit more than just a money making venture for him.