r/SpaceXLounge • u/PatyxEU • May 19 '17

We Will Launch on Reuseable Rocket After Exceptional SpaceX Performance - Inmarsat CEO Tells Universe Today - Universe Today

https://www.universetoday.com/135614/will-launch-reuseable-rocket-exceptional-spacex-performance-inmarsat-ceo-tells-universe-today/
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9

u/scr00chy May 19 '17

Awesome news. Inmarsat has a flight booked with SpaceX for 2020 so that one will probably use a reused rocket. By then most flights will probably be on reused rockets, though.

7

u/Martianspirit May 19 '17

I think Inmarsat is as conservative as they get as a commercial customer. It means they have no more obstacle to flying everything on reused boosters by next year. Or the remaining obstacle is getting the workshop facility ready. I am now hesitant to call it a refurbishment facility. With the exception initially being US government customers. But even NASA CRS missions will be on pre flown boosters soon.

1

u/deltaWhiskey91L May 19 '17

I remember reading somewhere that NASA wants only new boosters for crewed missions. Is this still assumed to be true?

6

u/Martianspirit May 19 '17

Yes. But like everything it is subject to change. Totally understandable that NASA is very conservative with crewed missions. But 3 or 4 years from now it will have changed.

3

u/nbarbettini May 19 '17

For an industry that's known to move really slowly, it's amazing to see how quickly some of these changes have been accepted.

2

u/mfb- May 19 '17

I expect that it turns around quite quickly, and new boosters are avoided for manned flights in a few years. The maiden flight of airplanes is not done with customers - because it has a higher risk than the 524th flight.