Elon Musk SpaceX to Send Over 90% of Global Payloads into Orbit Later This Year

TapTechNews May 21, billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday that later this year, SpaceX may send more than 90% of the world's payloads into orbit.

Musk was responding to a report from analytics firm BryceTech. The report said that SpaceX launched about 429,125 kilograms of spacecraft in the first quarter, followed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation with 29,426 kilograms, while SpaceX's US competitor, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), launched only 1,285 kilograms.

The CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX also pointed out that once its massive Starship spacecraft is in use, this proportion may further increase to more than 99%.

Later this year, SpaceX may send more than 90% of the world's payloads into orbit. Once Starship achieves high-frequency launches, this proportion may reach more than 99%, Musk wrote on X. This must be achieved, otherwise we can't build cities on Mars or establish a base on the Moon. We hardly file for patents, so competitors can freely copy us.

TapTechNews noted that Musk recently announced that the fourth test flight of the Starship spacecraft will take place in about 2 weeks. The primary goal is to overcome the maximum heat load during reentry. It is notable that no one has successfully manufactured a fully reusable heat shield, he noted. The space shuttle requires 6 months of refurbishment work.

Last year, Musk set a goal for SpaceX to send more than 80% of the world's payloads into orbit. The company completed 96 launches last year and plans to complete 144 this year.