For both military and civilian applications, launching satellites into orbit has long been both useful and incredibly expensive. But over the last decade, the costs to put payload into orbit have shrunk dramatically, driven by launchers like the SpaceX Falcon 9 & Falcon Heavy while the number of satellites in orbit has exploded. And now, with tests proceeding with the two-stage Starship super-heavy, it may be that even cheaper access to space is on the horizon. In this episode we explore why demand for orbital assets is increasing, how the US retook top spot in the Space Race, and what systems like Starship might mean for the future if they perform as advertised. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU Caveats, Comments and Corrections: All normal caveats and disclaimers apply In particular – I note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions, judgements or evaluations. For notes on costs and launch estimates - see notes further below. Also see notes in description regarding nomenclature. Readings and Sources: RUSI - Jamming JDAM https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/jamming-jdam-threat-us-munitions-russian-electronic-warfare VICTUS NOX https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/3679056/us-space-force-successfully-concludes-victus-nox-tactically-responsive-space-mi Q1 upmass by launch provider image from - https://x.com/BryceSpaceTech?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Space X smallsat rideshare program https://www.spacex.com/rideshare/ PayloadResearch - The Starship Report https://payloadspace.com/starship-report/ Futron - -Space Transportation Costs: Trends in Price Per Pound to Orbit 1990-2000 (used as baseline for costs for older systems) https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/36996100/space-transportation-costs-trends-in-price-per-pound-to-orbit- U.S. Army on next-gen satcom https://www.army.mil/article/249066/army_leverages_innovative_industry_partnerships_for_next_gen_satcom_capabilities USAF - The U.S. Air Force Transformation Flight Plan (2003) https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA458089.pdf DARPA contracting for DRIFT https://breakingdefense.com/2023/05/darpa-contracts-4-firms-for-drift-radar-imagery-experiments/ SpaceX launches NRO payloads https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/spacex-launches-first-satellites-new-us-spy-constellation-2024-05-22/ SpaceX 2023 launches at a glance image https://spaceexplored.com/2023/12/29/spacex-launches-2023/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/musks-spacex-is-building-spy-satellite-network-us-intelligence-agency-sources-2024-03-16/ Included video of the Singapore Satellite Industry Forum 2013 https://x.com/StormSurgeMedia/status/1675932589930979351 Reporting on PRC sat goals https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/02/china-building-its-own-starlinkeven-questions-surround-musks-constellation/394453/ Satellite imagery for Ukraine https://breakingdefense.com/2022/08/iceye-to-supply-ukraine-with-sar-satellite-imagery-via-ukrainian-foundation/ The Space Industry After the Russo-Ukrainian War https://warontherocks.com/2022/06/sanctions-and-satellites-the-space-industry-after-the-russo-ukrainian-war/ Space X losing 40 sats https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/feb/09/spacex-to-lose-up-to-40-starlink-satellites-after-geomagnetic-storm Ariane 6 https://phys.org/news/2024-06-europe-delayed-ariane-rocket-july.html OneWeb taking the hit for cancelled Soyuz launch https://spacenews.com/oneweb-takes-229-million-charge-for-canceled-soyuz-launches/ BBC on India moon mission https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67621968 Note on launch mass and cost per payload estimates. Calculating the 'cost/price per KG' of a system can be difficult. Different launches involve different margins and additional (e.g. safety or national security) demand driven costs. The manner in which project and related costs are rolled into launch costs or prices is also inconsistent across sources. For this video, values should be treated as indicative and are generally based on a compilation of publicly available prices and launch data compiled by Jakub Janovsky (@Rebel44CZ) - out of necessity, some assumptions have been required (e.g. including estimating payload mass). Unless otherwise noted, costs are based on prices for commercial launches. Timestamps: 00:00:00 — Opening Words 00:01:21 — What Am I Talking About? 00:02:04 — Space Driven Advantage 00:07:10 — The Constellation Revolution 00:14:53 — The Constellation Escalation 00:19:01 — Capacity As The Commodity 00:23:29 — National Launch Programs: Russia 00:32:44 — Let's Talk USA 00:35:19 — SpaceX Path To Dominance 00:49:05 — Starship And Its Implications 00:55:57 — Other Players? 00:59:51 — The Way Forward