Private space company SpaceX was always going to have a large 2022 in front of it. Starship is heading to orbit this year (hopefully), and there are Boeing contracts to take over. The company has already helped South Africa get a new batch of satellites into orbit this year. But there is a larger overall target the company’s hoping to hit.
SpaceX, according to a NASA safety panel meeting this week, hopes to perform 52 launches before the end of 2022. That’s a launch a week, a record for SpaceX. In fact, it would be an annual record for anyone, including governments.
SpaceX is blasting off again
The reason it’s come up now is because SpaceX is making a lot of work for the folks who keep these things as safe as possible. Panel member and former NASA astronaut Sandy Magnus said, “NASA and SpaceX will have to be watchful during 2022 that they’re not victims of their success. There’s an ambitious 52-launch manifest for SpaceX over the course of the year. And that’s an incredible pace.”
She’s not wrong, of course. Space travel is an incredibly tricky business. To streamline it to the point where a launch a week is possible is a colossal achievement. But that’s called for incredible attention to detail, in the interests of keeping things safe. Magnus added as much, saying that both NASA and SpaceX “…will have to ensure the appropriate attention and priority are focused on NASA missions”.
Achieving this target won’t be easy. Last year, the company had a target of 48 launches for the year. It only managed 31, thanks to the inherent difficulties of sending massive chunks of metal into space. And that’s not counting the issues presented by atmospheric complications, like the weather.
Source: The Verge