The market value of SpaceX, led by US businessman Ilon Mask, reached $ 21 billion (in 2015, there were 11 billion). If two years ago on SpaceX accounted for about 15 percent of commercial launches in the world market, then in 2016 - 30 percent. About the reasons for success and the nearest plans of the young company tells "The tape. RU".
In 2017, SpaceX conducted 10 launches, all successful, among them several key ones, indicative of the company's progress, in particular in reusable technologies. In March 2017, the first rocket was launched Falcon 9 with the previously used (in April 2016) stage. And it was again possible to preserve it. In addition, for the first time it was possible to save (with the help of shunting engines and a parachute) half of the head fairing of the carrier.
The cost of the entire head fairing - about 6 million dollars, the preservation of the first stage will reduce the launch price in the next couple of years by 10-30 percent. As a result, by the year 2022, when the Russian Soyuz-5 rocket can fly for the first time, the cost of launching a Falcon 9 carrier will drop to about $ 30 million - it's almost twice cheaper than today. At the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018 the final modification of the Falcon 9 Block 5 starts, whose first stage is designed for starts with an interval of less than 24 hours and is capable of withstanding up to 10 launches.
SpaceX has actually entered the leaders of the world market of commercial launches, intercepting orders from old players, primarily Roskosmos and French Arianespace. The larger the company launches missiles, the less expensive (because of the reusability), and hence the competitiveness of its vehicles.
The launch of the Falcon 9 is about twice cheaper than the Atlas V, and three to four - than the Delta IV (price tags vary greatly depending on the customer and the modification of the missile). SpaceX, unlike the ULA, does not require direct government support for the production of its missiles (in the case of a small number of orders or their total absence). The ULA pricing policy led to the fact that in 2009-2012 the United States did not produce any commercial launch into a geotransport orbit. SpaceX returned the country to the promising market.
In Washington, despite the strong lobby in the administration of Donald Trump Boeing, Lockheed Martin and other aerospace companies, they perfectly understand the situation. "Before the advent of SpaceX with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the launch market for commercial spacecraft actually belonged to France and Russia: no American company has sent any commercial mission to the geostationary orbit since 2009," said Tim Hughes, senior vice president of SpaceX, Hearings in the subcommittee of the US Senate.
"SpaceX returned this multi-billion dollar market to the United States," stated Hughes. Also, Senior Vice President SpaceX said that the company completed 2013 with 10 percent of the market (Russia - 60 percent, the EU - 20), and in the current 2017 its share will reach 45 percent (the EU will have about 40 percent, and Russia - only 15). Plans for the next year - 60 percent of the world market of commercial launches (the EU - 30 percent, Russia - less than 10).
Other orgs shd also develop reusable orbital rockets. If an airplane co had reusable airplanes, buying single use airplanes wd seem crazy. Pic. Twitter. Com / OJotlGmPHt - Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2017 US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in June 2017 at a meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee noted that SpaceX provides "guaranteed access to space at an extremely competitive price". Earlier it became known that the military entrusted SpaceX with the fifth launch of the secret mini-shuttle Boeing X-37 (X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle or OTV). The launch will take place on the Falcon 9 rocket in August 2017. The Pentagon believes that the launch of the Boeing X-37 on the new carrier provides "additional opportunities" - all the previous four launches of the Boeing X-37 were made on the Atlas V rocket.
SpaceX would not have been herself, had she only been interested in commercial space. In June 2017, the company first launched the previously used (in September-October 2014) sealed descending capsule of the Dragon ship. The mission ended successfully, in July the capsule was again able to be saved, the question of its third application was solved. In the future, to the ISS in the contract with NASA SpaceX plans to send only previously used Dragon - currently the only reusable space truck on the planet.
In addition to Dragon trucks, the manned spacecraft Dragon 2 must fly to the ISS. According to a recently published NASA report, SpaceX intends to meet the deadline: Dragon 2 starts in February 2018 in unmanned mode, and in summer - already with astronauts. "Next year, we will pay special attention to the ship Dragon 2", - said Mask at the NASA conference on the prospects of research on board the ISS. It was in NASA that the first to believe in SpaceX, and the company gained access to significant financial resources.
In SpaceX, the use of the Dragon 2 SuperDraco engine. They are planned to be used only for emergency braking. Mask explained this decision by the complexity of NASA certification that a manned spacecraft. The landing of Dragon 2 is supposed to be carried out using parachutes. But in Dragon 2, the possibilities for upgrading are laid, than if necessary in SpaceX and will be occupied.
The publication Space News notes that this may affect the company's plans to ship in 2020 to Mars ship Red Dragon, an upgraded version of Dragon 2. Probably, the landing system of Red Dragon will change. The head of SpaceX does not rule out that in three or four years he will visit the ISS. Then American astronauts will fly to Dragon 2. In addition, the businessman said that SpaceX already has two tourists who want to fly around the moon.
In 2017, a superheavy Falcon Heavy rocket is to be launched, capable of delivering 63.8 tons of payload to low earth orbit. While Falcon Heavy's priorities do not include. Mask does not rule out that its first launch will be unsuccessful. Difficulty in the need for synchronous operation of 27 engines. "There's a lot that can go wrong," warns Musk.
After two serious accidents in 2015 and 2016, the company restored its reputation, as evidenced by the record launch rates in 2017. SpaceX's plans change rapidly, as a rule, there are delays in most projects, but a retrospective view shows that the company as a whole works successfully in selected areas.
Having dealt with Falcon 9 Block 5, the company's main source of revenue in the near future, and manned by Dragon 2, the main obligation to NASA, in SpaceX will for sure switch to Falcon Heavy and activate mission work in the far space.
Mask promised that in September 2017, he will talk about plans for the ITS (Interplanetary Transport System) system, intended for the colonization of Mars and presented a year ago. The businessman said that he will present an alternative version of the ITS project with a cheaper missile. It is possible that SpaceX will pay more attention to the Moon, not to Mars, which is largely due to the still uncertain plans of NASA.