Posted on 03/04/2025 12:52:21 PM PST by Jonty30
While Elon Musk focuses on Mars, the Pentagon sees his new Starship program as the key to literal global domination. And if “amateurs talk about strategy, but experts think about logistics”, SpaceX has created exactly what’s needed.
How is Starship Different? Starship is unlike any rocket before. It’s 100% reusable. It lifts 100 tons, and that number will grow to 200 tons at least (the Saturn V Moon rocket, most powerful in history until now, could lift 130 tons). Starship can also refuel in orbit, so it can send that whole enormous cargo (which might well be several hundred people) anywhere in the Solar System and return whole. The Saturn V could only get a fraction of its payload to the Moon, returning only a tiny capsule.
The difference is staggering even before you consider this. Unlike airplanes, NASA, Boeing, China, Russia, Europe, everyone throws away every rocket they launch. What would it cost if you treated airplanes the same way? If you built a new one every time you flew, on average (based on list price for a new 737), that would increase the cost of each and every plane ticket by roughly $493,650.79. Each way.
Notice the title of your link from 2018? The Next Big Future? Its a non-workable, drug induced, internet fantasy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starshield
Hmmmmm….
Wow, I knew SpaceX was working on military applications for Starlink, but had no idea of the scope of what is being considered. Elon is a once in a century national asset who must be protected at all costs.
And my additional thought about Starship is that it would make one Godzilla-sized MIRV truck. Destroy an entire country with a single launch. But on the less apocalyptic front, that kind of heavy lift capability with the rapid launch cadence they’re planning could do the same with conventional weapons. It could just relentlessly rain down ballistic warheads on an adversary. The space version of Rapid Dragon.
Musk builds things into what he makes that for a lack of better description are “undocumented”. For example, some people are just figuring out that part of Starlink was designed to be the best aircraft to aircraft communication system. I wonder if this capability will lead to Musk controlling the platform that provides aircraft to ground communications.
If the deep state had been able to grok (a word I’ve used since I read everything Heinlein wrote decades ago) they would have never allowed Musk to launch all those satellites. The power that platform gives him is enormous. Musk isn’t just a person who can look around the corner, he sees around countless corners.
Musk had to support Trump, not just because it makes sense on so many levels of good vs evil but because if Kamala was elected the Democrats would have found a way to take control of Starlink and jail Musk. Now, Musk has the time to firewall himself and his various businesses over the next few years. And, as Musk starts to roll out a worldwide media platform he can pivot such that he has the ability to provide conservative content everywhere in any language. He is building a worldwide news and entertainment system.
Musk is a one off for sure...
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