Alright, let's get real. Another SpaceX launch? Color me shocked. I swear, if I see one more headline about a "brand new Falcon 9 booster," I might just hurl my laptop into orbit myself. Apparently, B1100 is the eighth new booster this year. Eight! It's like they're churning these things out faster than I can finish my coffee.
The Starlink Conga Line
So, what's the big deal this time? Oh, just another 28 Starlink satellites heading up to join the ever-growing swarm. This is the 110th Starlink delivery flight this year. 110th! And they’re bragging about 8 million customers? Let's be real, that ain't a justification for filling up low Earth orbit with what's essentially space junk waiting to happen. According to SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg on brand new Falcon 9 rocket – Spaceflight Now, this launch originated from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
They launched from Vandenberg, aimed for that 53-degree inclination...yadda yadda yadda. The booster landed on "Of Course I Still Love You." Cute name, I guess. But does anyone ever stop to think about what all this incessant launching is actually doing? I mean, seriously.
SpaceX wants to provide internet to everyone, everywhere. Noble goal and all that jazz. But at what cost? We're talking about potentially thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of satellites circling the globe. What happens when these things start failing? What about Kessler Syndrome becoming a reality? Are we just creating a massive, uncontrollable cloud of debris that will make space travel impossible for future generations?
And before you say "but Nate, SpaceX has thought of all that," give me a break. They're a company, first and foremost. They're driven by profit, not altruism. Sure, they might have some fancy deorbiting tech, but tech fails, things break... offcourse things break. We're trusting the future of space exploration to a company that's moving so fast, it's practically tripping over itself.
Meanwhile, Back on Earth...and in China
While Elon's busy colonizing the skies with internet satellites, what's China up to? Oh, just launching an uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft because their crewed one got dinged by space debris. You can’t make this stuff up. The Shenzhou-20 had a "fine crack" in the window and they decided, reasonably, to send the crew home in a different capsule. Good call, China. At least someone’s thinking about safety. China prepares to launch uncrewed Shenzhou as maiden launches slip for commercial launch providers confirms the details of this launch.
And they're sending a Pakistani astronaut to Tiangong next year? That’s cool, I guess. But it's hard to get excited about international cooperation when we're simultaneously turning space into a giant demolition derby.
Oh, and they found "rust" on the moon. Rust! On the freaking moon! Apparently, ancient impacts might have briefly created oxygen-rich conditions. Who knew? Maybe we should just move all our garbage there.
Speaking of China, they’re also working on reusable rockets, like Deep Blue Aerospace and Galactic Energy. And Space Pioneer is building something eerily similar to a Falcon 9. Are they going to repeat our mistakes, or learn from them?
I'm starting to feel like that old guy yelling at clouds. "Get off my lawn...and out of my orbit!"
Is This Progress, or Just a Mess?
SpaceX is launching rockets at a rate that's frankly terrifying. China's dealing with damaged spacecraft and lunar rust. Commercial companies are racing to build their own Falcon 9 clones. And I'm sitting here wondering if we're all just collectively sleepwalking into a disaster. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is all part of some grand plan that I'm too cynical to understand. But I can't shake the feeling that we're sacrificing long-term sustainability for short-term gains.
So, What's the Real Story?
It's a gold rush in space, and nobody seems to care about the environmental impact.