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An Atlas V 551 rocket, configured with five side-mounted solid rocket boosters and a standard-length payload fairing, will utilize several launch optimization features to place the ViaSat-3 Flight 2 spacecraft into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The craft is one of the heaviest single-satellite payloads. Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Launch Readiness Review completed The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) is GO for Wednesday’s liftoff of the United Launch Alliance commercial Atlas V rocket with one of the most sophisticated and powerful commercial communications satellites — the ViaSat-3 Flight 2 ultra-high-capacity broadband spacecraft....

If SpaceX gets lucky the BFR development costs could come in at the $2 billion low-end estimate. Elon Musk had estimated that it would cost $2 billion to 10 billion to develop. A few more critical successes over the next year will enable SpaceX to solidify the finances and funding for the BFR. The needed critical successes are the NASA crewed launch certification in mid-2019 and successful Falcon Heavy launches in 2019. SpaceX has pre-sold a moon orbit tourist flight to a Japanese billionaire. This was likely for $500 to $800 million. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy already has up to...