Can China catch Elon Musk and SpaceX?

Space X enjoys a near-monopoly on space launches. The company, founded by Elon Musk, has raced ahead of rivals in Europe and North America by driving down the cost of lifting payloads into orbit.

SpaceX's Starlink system boasts over 6,000 satellites in low-earth orbit, and provides high-quality internet service to the most remote areas of the world. Starlink is also profitable, and is quickly becoming the global industry standard for heavy industry, maritime, aviation, logistics, search and rescue, and even military operations.

China is aggressively attempting to catch up, with huge investments into research and development of reusable rockets, with ambitions to build even larger constellations of low-earth orbit satellites.

Resources and links:

Starlink satellites in real time

Starlink home page

Zerohedge, French Media Blames SpaceX For 2,500 Airbus Layoffs As Elon Musk Leads Rocket Race
and

SpaceX’s mission to improve Starlink gets pushback from Europe

Politico, How Europe’s rocket program lost big to Elon Musk: The inside story

Spectator, SpaceX has put Europe to shame

Techcrunch, Internal pre-Starlink SpaceX financials show big spending on moonshot bets

Space, Chinese company CAS Space takes steps toward 1st launch of reusable rocket

Space and Defense, Another Step Forward – China Advances its Reusable Rockets

Bloomberg, In Space, No One Can Hear Musk's Rivals Scream

Zerohedge, Satellite Constellation Projects Ready for Takeoff

Statista, Satellite Constellation Projects Ready for Takeoff

Starlink, meet Qianfan: China’s bold bid to catch up in the satellite race

Bloomberg, Pentagon Deal With Musk’s Starlink in Ukraine Extended Six Months for $14 Million

CNN, Ukraine relies on Starlink for its drone war. Russia appears to be bypassing sanctions to use the devices too

Russia’s illicit Starlink terminals help power its advance in Ukraine

Space X Home Page

Aviation Week, Why Is The U.S. Space Industry So Obsessed With Vertical Integration?

Substack

Closing scene, Thousand Island Lake, Zhejiang

[gelinrefira]

Kevin brings up an important point. If your country relies on an American company for your crucial communication infrastructure, you do not have digital and data sovereignty. This is why China's Great Firewall exist, why they build alternative digital outlets and to prevent US big tech from taking over their digital space because once you allow that to happen, the US government can do whatever it wants to your government, your people, your society, your politics, and your culture.

Remember snow dan, remember what the nsa did, remember prism, remember that American companies like cisco are constantly found to have backdoors in their products. Now even intel chips are found to have backdoors. Everything that comes out of American companies are basically spyware. The moment the US accused China of installing backdoors and spyware is the moment it confirmed that the US have done that to all American tech companies.

[deanc]

This is a fantastic channel that provides information not found elsewhere.

[TexasRiverRat]

Thank you Kevin! While American companies complain about China "subsidizing" their companies Elon got $700+Million, (3/4 of a BILLION), dollars from the US government in "Carbon Capture" credits while starting a company that will use as much electricity as a city of 200, 000. Double standard?

[hermitthedruid]

This video is why I trust Kevin. He’s not glazing China, he also calls out when the West does good too. You can’t get better without competition. Good on Musk/SpaceX for providing a target, now China should rise to the challenge.

[gelinrefira]

It's not just starlink, it's also starshield which is explicitly a military statellite constellation.

[fannyalbi]

the real question should be "how soon"

[Raz-Al-Raziz-eg]

Man this is such a solid channel for concise info

[mmojave]

And yet no one (not even the environmentalists) are complaining about Starlink polluting the lower orbit with its

[Inside_China_Business]

At around the 5:00 mark, I referred to Statista as "statistic". Apologies.

[StephenKelly-eyne]

Good morning Kevin another good one thank you.

[MS-wzjm]

Chinas limitation is on the launch capacity to build the network. On the other hand China has 8 companies building reusable rockets, most should fly next year. Will they catch up? Of course, its just a matter of time.

[supergroovy]

After the Lebanon pager incident, I have a hard time trusting things like I used to. A year ago it would be just the quality of service or price, but now many other factors come into play. Right now, I will see how China does with that satellite Internet thing because I can't trust the current elite colonial capitalists controlling the west. I hope it changes.

[betoperez]

It is interesting how Elon's Space X is advancing due to his vertical manufacturing. In the other hand, we hear a lot about how China has copied from the West to get to the level where she is at. Yet, if we looked carefully what it is happening with Elon's Space X, he has learned about manufacturing vertically from the Chinese industry. Is it that what we called copying?

[phils]

Both China AND Russia are pressing ahead with re-useable rocket production. The Russian system also uses a more energy-dense propellant - methane (which Russia has in abundance). There is a lot of information interchange between China and Russia, so expect significant progress in this area soon.

[EmilHermansson-wfdz]

The quality of this channel is truly impressive! Well done!

[mmojave]

Starlink is wolves-in-sheep's skin.... Who's to say that the US gov won't use Starlink for its dubious agendas??

[douginorlando]

Dongfang hour does excellent unbiased review of China’s space programs. 8 Chinese companies are developing reusable rockets including 2 using the most advanced rocket engine technology. 2025 and 2026 will see several of them succeed. The government has incentivized them to develop Falcon9 sized rockets lifting 20 tons into low earth orbit

[avg_ape]

Once again, well documented, clear & objective insight delivered in a succinct & easy understand format. Thanks.

[jemjab]

Kevin, you are doing an amazing job, we need more competition around the world.

[EmeliaNevaehSaniyao]

specswriter AI fixes this (AI Technical writing (White Papers/ Business Plans)). Can China catch SpaceX?