2021 Quarter 1 upmass

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Apr 282021

And this round goes to SpaceX!

The 1Q report from @BryceSpaceTech on mass to orbit:

SpaceX: 116 metric tons (mostly Starlink)
China: 26 metric tons
All the rest: Lesshttps://t.co/2HXcqt9wYe pic.twitter.com/2Kh2YBuH8l

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 28, 2021

While it’s good that SpaceX continues to kick substantial ass in the field of launching stuff to orbit, expect the Chinese to do whatever they can to surpass. Note that Boeing/Lockheed/ULA doesn’t appear on here. SpaceX is essentially America’s *sole* launch provider. Great for them, but it makes them a single-point failure mode, vulnerable to screwups, physical sabotage, cyber attacks and regulations.

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